The Early Days At Hogwarts
by JacklynnRipper
Summary: Marauders set in their last year in Hogwarts and beyond. Mostly Remus and Sirius, but lots of the others. NOT a slash.
1. Hogsmeade

Disclaimer- I don't own any characters except Eleanor, I just like to have fun with them.  This is a story I posted about two years ago that I found and loved, revamped and continued. There are twenty-some chapters so give me some time to get them all up. Reviews are encouraged.

Lily sighed in frustration, turning to the side to better examine her figure in the mirror. Eleanor rolled her eyes with a laugh.

"Lily, you look fine."

And she did. But Eleanor mostly said it because they'd been held up in their Gryffindor dorm for almost an hour now trying to get ready for a trip to Hogsmeade. She was positive the boys were downstairs waiting in the common room.

"You don't think my jeans are too tight?"

"Well, James would love that, wouldn't he? He probably shrunk them while you weren't looking."

Lily laughed, shaking her head. "I wouldn't put it past him."

"Come on. If they are too tight, your sweater will cover your bum anyway. They're going to leave without us!"

Eleanor got up and grabbed her arm, pulling her out of the door. When they reached the common room, the boys all cheered from where they stood by the portrait hole. They were the last left in the common room. They were already in their scarves and coats and ready to leave.

"Finally!" James shouted, walking toward them with Lily's coat in hand.

James was Lily's boyfriend and had been since fifth year, when he was finally able (with the help of Eleanor) to convince Lily to go on a date with him. Almost two years later, and they were still going strong. He helped Lily into her coat and then wrapped her scarf around her neck.

"Shut up, James. Just because we make it a point to look presentable when we go out… when was the last time you ran a comb through that rat nest?"

"And you look fantastic. Both of you." Remus smiled, handing Eleanor her coat.

"Thank you, Remus." Eleanor smiled, pecking him on the lips before donning her coat.

"You know I've given up on my hair, Nell. It's worthless to even try." James smirked.

The tallest of the bunch spoke up, running a hand through his smooth, black hair. Sirius Black.

"And that, Prongs, is why you have no luck with women. Bad hair." Sirius said coolly, using James's nickname.

The four friends all had their own nicknames for each other. James Potter, certainly the sharpest and wittiest of the group, was dubbed Prongs. Sirius Black, the handsome and clever one, was Padfoot. Remus Lupin, the levelheaded and mature one, was Moony. And Peter Pettigrew, the small, pudgy boy who'd been following them around since first year, was Wormtail. The girls could never figure out the reasoning behind the names and the boys always declined to explain, so they simply went along with it.

"I don't need luck with women, Padfoot. I've got the only one I want."

"Aw, James. That was almost cute." Lily gushed, pinching his cheek.

James gave her a mocking smile before leading the way out of the portrait hole. Sirius and Peter followed behind. Eleanor took Remus' hand to hold him back a moment.

"Are you feeling alright?" She frowned, looking him over and putting her hand to his forehead.

"Nell, I'm fine." He laughed.

"You look tired. And you're really pale."

"I was up late studying. And , Nell…when am I not pale?"

She laughed. "Okay, you've got a point."

"Come on… before we lose them."

Remus took her hand and pulled her down the hall. After checking their names with Filch at the front door, the six of them set off across the snow-covered grounds. James and Lily walked behind the rest, talking and giggling amongst themselves, Peter behind them with a stupid grin on his face, muttering as if he was taking notes from James on how to smooth talk a girl. Sirius looked back at them before turning to Eleanor and Remus with a roll of his eyes.

"I seriously need to find myself a girlfriend." And he looked around as if, on cue, one would just walk up.

"Well…" Eleanor smirked. "I hear Severus is looking."

Sirius stopped in his tracks, staring at her with utmost revulsion. "Excuse me, Miss Black?"

She tried to contain herself. "You heard me, Mr. Black."

Remus had to cover his mouth to stifle his laugh. Sirius just smiled calmly, bending over and reaching down to gather some snow in his hands. Eleanor shrieked, letting go of Remus and running ahead. Sirius followed behind her, pelting her with snowball after snowball.

"Remus! Help me!" She hollered, slipping and falling backward into the snow.

That second, Sirius was on top of her, tickling her until she couldn't breathe.

"Take it back!" He laughed.

"I tak-I…" She was laughing so hard she was turning red. "Back! I take it back!"

Sirius let her go, getting to his feet with a smug smile. "Thank you." And just then, he was hit in he side of the face with a snowball from Remus.

Eleanor took his hand and got to her feet with a laugh. "Nice job, Remus! A little late, though."

"Moony's a poor aim… had to wait until he got really close." Sirius joked.

Remus picked up another and whacked him in the chest with it. Then Eleanor shoved him back onto his butt in the snow.

"That'll teach you, Mr. Black!"

They found it amusing to call each other Mr. and Miss Black though there was no relation. They always joked about getting married and not having to change their name. Sirius looked up at her with a smirk.

"I'll get you someday, Miss Black. Just wait."

Eleanor shivered, folding her arms now that her jacket and pants were soaking wet. "Jeez, it's freezing out here!"

"Here." Remus laughed, unbuttoning his coat.

"Oh, no! Keep that, Remus. You'll get sick."

"Better me than you." He smiled and wrapped it around her shoulders, holding her close and leading her on down the road.

When they finally made it into Hogsmeade, they all split up and agreed to meet in two hours inside the Three Broomsticks. Eleanor pulled Remus down the main road, passing all of the others as they entered various shops. Remus tagged along behind her, her hand in his. When the scenery changed and he realized they were passing all of the shops, he yanked her back. He knew exactly where she was headed and there was no way he was going back there. He'd seen that place much too often.

"Where are you going?" He asked, shaking his head.

"The Shrieking Shack…I've never seen it before. It's supposed to be the most haunted house in all of Britain." Her smile faltered slightly at his reaction.

His mouth opened slightly and he searched desperately for an excuse. "I…well, it's nothing special. Trust me, you're not missing anything."

She looked at him with a look of disbelief and disappointment. "But…"

"But, nothing, Nell. I've been in there a million times… and not a damn thing has happened! It's not worth it. Let's just get inside somewhere warm. Are you hungry?"

A little shocked by his behavior, she followed him as he pulled her toward the coffee shop. When they sat at their table, she looked away from him. She couldn't understand what was wrong with him. He'd never done that to her before. Stealing a glance at him, he was looking down and examining the menu in front of him with fake interest.

"Do you want anything?" He asked, not looking up.

"No, thank you. I'm fine."

He looked up and met her eyes. She studied his face for a moment, trying to figure it out. Something was wrong.

"Why are you so afraid of that house, Remus?"

He shook his head, giving a nervous laugh. "I am not afraid."

"Well… then you wouldn't have done that. Never in our three years together have you denied me anything. If it was so dumb… you would have let me figure it out by myself. I know you, Remus."

He just looked at her for a moment, wishing she really did.

"I'm sorry." He said finally, looking down.

"What happened up there?" She folded he arms against the table, leaning closer to him.

He tapped his fingers on the table, trying to piece something together. He needed something authentic sounding that would keep her away from the house.

"You can tell me, you know."

He wet his lips with his tongue and nodded, raising his eyes to meet hers. "I know." He proceeded to roll up his sweater sleeve to reveal bright pink scars from claw marks on his forearm. Then, he pulled aside the collar of his shirt to show more on his shoulder. She bit her lip and put her hand over his arm.

"James, Sirius, and I went up there third year. Saying that house is haunted is an understatement, Nell. There are evil things in there. Things that are not afraid to hurt you and the last thing I want is for you to get hurt."

He put his hand over hers on his arm. "I love you."

Her eyes widened slightly with surprise and it took a moment for a smile to come to her face. That was probably the only thing he'd said in the last five minutes that wasn't completely fabricated. He hadn't planned on telling her like that, but he liked how it sounded. Terrifically genuine. She looked down and brought her free hand up to wipe her eyes.

"I'm sorry." He was confused now. He reached over to touch her face.

"Don't be." She laughed. "I'm just an idiot… I don't know why, after three years… that took me by surprise."

He laughed. "Well, it's true. And you need to know that."

"I do know it." She grinned. "And I love you , too."


	2. The Engagement

Sirius pushed open the door to the Three Broomsticks, walking inside and brushing the snow from his shoulders. He ran a hand back though his hair, his handsome dark eyes scanning the room around him. They landed on a likely target, a lone girl with her nose stuck in a book. Her face looked familiar but Sirius couldn't place it. Rosmerta came to the bar beside him with a smile.

"Hey, there, Sirius… can I get you something?"

"Rosmerta, darling." He said with a laugh, walking over to her and shedding his coat. "You could, thank you. Two butterbeer."

She followed his eyes and looked at the girl with a quiet laugh. "She's always alone, Sirius… don't give her a hard time."

"I'm not going to give her a hard time.." He laughed, shooting her a sideways glance. "I'm going to give her a good time."

Rosmerta let out a hearty laugh and set the drinks down on the bar. Sirius paid her and took them with a quick thank you. He crossed the room and sat down in a chair next to the girl, placing the butterbeer in front of her. She looked up slowly from her book, strands of blonde and strawberry streaked hair falling in front of her eyes. Sirius smirked.

"Hey."

The girl attempted to smile, brushing her hair away from her eyes. "Hi."

"I'm Sirius… Sirius Black."

The girl frowned and Sirius grew worried. What kind of stories were getting around now?

"Ally Hudson." The girl said, looking down at her book again. "I'm in Gryffindor, too."

Sirius nodded, biting his lip. Smooth, Sirius. He thought to himself. Real smooth.

"I knew you looked familiar. You're a year blow us, right?"

Ally simply nodded, still reading. Sirius took in a deep breath, sitting straighter in his chair, prideful. He'd never actually been shunned by a girl before.

"And you're on the team."

"Chaser." She added.

"Yes, I've seen you play. You're fantastic! James talks about you often."

She looked up at him, not being able to help a smile. "He should. He and I are the best Chasers Gryffindor has had in a while."

Sirius's smile widened. "I'll say."

Ally laughed quietly, her eyes flicking to the drink before her. "For me?"

Sirius nodded, motioning to give her the go ahead. "Yes, it is."

"Thank you." She reached for it and took a small sip. She hated butterbeer but she wasn't about to refuse one given to her by Sirius Black. She'd been crushing on him since first year.

"Yeah, you're great with a broomstick." Sirius continued out of nowhere.

She smiled, nodding.

"The maneuvers… fantastic. Speed, insane. You're one of the best fliers ever."

Ally nodded in appreciation to each of his comments.

"And you're incredibly beautiful."

This one took her by surprise. Her eyes widened slightly and she felt her face grow pink.

"Your eyes…"

Sirius grinned, lowering his head to look under the hair that had fallen in front of them. Ally's heart raced and she looked down with a frown, her face going even redder.

"Oh…" Was all she cold say. People were always talking about her eyes and how strange they were. One blue, one brown.

"They're beautiful."

She slowly looked up at him, her smile growing. "Really?"

"Really!" He chuckled. "They're different… I like that. They're beautiful."

"Thanks." She laughed quietly. "Yours too."

Sirius raised a brow, more amused with this girl than he thought he would be. He liked her. She seemed embarrassed by her comment and quickly stammered to say something else.

"I mean… I like your eyes. They're really nice."

"Thank you." He laughed.

Ally grabbed onto her butterbeer and took a long sip. The warm liquid seemed to calm her a little. She couldn't believe she was sitting at a table, being called beautiful by Sirius Black. Her friends were always talking about him saying he was some sort of a player. He's snogged practically every girl in Gryffindor. He'd only been serious with a select few. Could she possibly be getting her chance? She looked up and met his eyes and they both grinned. Oh, definitely.

It felt like only seconds had passed before Eleanor and Remus entered the bar. Sirius looked down at his watch. He and Ally had been talking for close to two hours.

"Wow…" He raised a hand, waving it lazily to get his friends' attention. "You want to join us for drinks?"

Ally shrugged, smiling. "Sure."

Eleanor and Remus approached the table with smiles. Eleanor's widened when she saw Ally.

"Hey, Hudson!" She said, leaning over to hug Ally gently.

"Hi, Eleanor." Ally said quietly, hugging her back.

"Ally." Remus smiled, nodding in her direction before taking a seat beside Sirius.

Ally smiled. Her eyes followed Eleanor as she circled the table and sat down next to Ally, across from Remus and Sirius. She danced in her seat for a moment before looking at Remus and laughing. Remus just smiled. Sirius raised a brow, looking back and forth from them both.

"Have I missed something?"

"No." Eleanor said simply. "So… putting your smooth moves on Ally Hudson, huh, Mr. Black?"

Ally turned pink again, sinking back in her chair. Sirius laughed quietly.

"I was trying, Miss Black."

Eleanor leaned over toward Ally, placing a hand on her arm. "Don't listen to the lies and tales of broken hearted girls. Sirius is a great guy."

Ally's smile widened. "Thanks."

"No problem."

Ally had always liked Eleanor. She was always sweet and pleasant, just like Lily Evans. How they both got mixed up with James and Sirius, Ally had no idea. Now, Remus she could understand. He was a lot more mature and laidback then his friends. And Peter… Peter seemed to be the pest that none of them could seem to shake. But Ally had always been jealous of their close group of friends. She'd never had anything like that before and the chance to be a part of it excited her.

"I wonder why James and Lily asked us here." Sirius wondered aloud.

Before they'd all gone off on their own, James and Lily told everyone to meet them in the Three Broomsticks in two hours time.

Eleanor shrugged. "Maybe it's just going to be one of those mushy, boo-hoo things. Ahh, we're all graduating and I'm going to miss you so much!" Eleanor mocked dramatically with a laugh.

"Yeah, probably." Sirius shrugged, sticking his tongue out at Ally.

She laughed, giving him a 'what the hell' kind of a look. He shrugged, smiling adorably. Eleanor rolled her eyes with a smile.

"Oh, boy… I remember those days." She looked over at Remus and he laughed.

"Oh, you two took a lot more coaxing." Sirius said, shaking his head. "Poor Moony, a nervous wreck… we had to threaten to hex him to get him to ask you out."

Eleanor laughed as Remus smirked and looked down, covering his face.

"That's cute!" Eleanor said. "Did they really? Explains why you were shooting them angry glares from our table."

" Well, it's a good thing they did. I never would have done it on my own."

"We just got sick of him staring off into space, zoning out as you walked by."

Eleanor blushed, laughing harder. "I never even noticed! Lily used to make fun of me, too. I would actually watch you down the table in the Great Hall." Eleanor shrugged, her face growing redder. "I remember one time… we met eyes and you smiled and I… Oh, Remus, I could have died. "

They were all laughing now. Eleanor continued.

"I just remember Lily thinking I was hexed with some sort of a… giggling jinx. She didn't understand what was wrong with me… and when I told her what happened, she just stared at me like I was crazy… then we both started laughing."

"No, wait!" Sirius pointed at her. "I actually remember that! That was the first time James really noticed Lily. Everyone was staring at you, wondering what on Earth could be so funny. We all thought you'd been jinxed. James got all sappy faced, staring down the table."

Remus cracked up, slapping the table. "Yes! And all he kept mumbling was 'She has the most beautiful laugh I've ever heard.' And we thought he was ridiculous."

"I remember when he asked you out." Ally spoke up.

Eleanor wiped her tears room laughing so hard and looked over at her. "Really?"

"Yeah…" Ally began. "It was breakfast before my first Hogsmeade trip and he came up and asked you to have lunch at the little coffee shop with him. I just remember your faces. Neither of you had any idea what to say." Ally laughed to herself, shaking her head.

Eleanor smiled, standing up and leaning over the table to kiss Remus. He kissed her back with a smile. Sirius sighed heavily, putting a hand over his heart.

"Truly touching."

Eleanor sat back with a laugh, folding her arms.

"Shut up, Sirius. You're just jealous."

"Of you?" He raised a brow, looking Remus over. "I think not."

They all laughed. Eleanor waved as the door to the Three Broomsticks opened and James and Lily came in. They were all smiles and James was carrying a large bottle. He stopped off by the bar.

"Rosmerta, could I borrow a couple of glasses?"

Lily came over and sat down at the large table, waving to the other end where Sirius sat with a girl from the Gryffindor Quidditch team, Ally.

"What's the bottle for, Lily?" Eleanor looked over at her at the end of the table.

Lily shrugged with a knowing smile. "James grabbed it… said it was right for the occasion."

Eleanor sat back, catching Remus's eyes. "Occasion, huh? This ought to be good."

Remus laughed, looking up as James came to the table and placed a glass in front of everyone. He went around again, filling them all before taking his seat. He looked over at Lily and then they both looked at everyone else with huge grins. They raised their glasses and everyone else did the same.

"To our engagement." James said finally.

James and Lily downed their glasses while everyone else just stared at them in shock. When they noticed, they slowly put their glasses down.

"Your what?" Sirius finally voiced for the crowd.

"We're getting married. This summer." Lily explained.

As if something had suddenly dawned on them, one by one they all began to smile.

"Well, I'll drink to that!" Eleanor hollered, downing her glass. "To James and Lily!"

Everyone cheered and drank their glasses. The couple was all smiles again.

"We knew it was going to happen eventually. Just didn't expect it so soon!" Sirius laughed.

"And another…" James went around, filling everyone's glasses again. He stopped at Sirius, putting a hand on his shoulder. "To my best man."

"And Eleanor." Lily added. "My maid of honor!"

"Whoa!" Eleanor jumped up, running over and hugging Lily.

Just then, the door opened and Peter walked inside, shrugging off the snow on his shoulders. Everyone quickly grew quiet and looked around, suddenly realizing they'd forgotten him. He made his way over with a smile and James quickly poured a glass and handed it to him.

"Wormtail, I'm getting married, mate!" James smirked.

Peter's eyes went wide and he mumbled something. Then he laughed. "That's fantastic! Congratulations."

Peter threw back his glass, downing the champagne. Everyone laughed, applauding. Eleanor grabbed the bottle from James to go and pour another drink for everyone. She stopped, noticing the bottle was still completely full. She smirked.

"Nice one, James. This will keep us going for a while."

It was a few hours before they all stumbled down the road leading back to Hogwarts. The sun was setting and most of the students were already gone. James held Lily around her waist, swaggering slightly as he brought the bottle up to his lips.

"This is… the most fun I think we've had in years. We should do it again sometime!"

Eleanor laughed. "Sure, James. If we're not expelled."

"Expelled?" James turned to look at her but slipped in the snow, falling onto his side and bringing Lily down on top of him.

They all stopped, laughing. Remus and Sirius helped them both up. Lily took a few steps back, brushing snow off of her pants in a huff. Holding him steady around his shoulders, Sirius took the bottle from James with a hearty laugh.

"I think you've had quite enough of this, Prongs."

"Expelled for what?" James continued. "Being late? Being drunk? Being rowdy?"

"Try all of the above." Eleanor looked up at the sky for a moment. "Look at the stars, you guys. They're beautiful."

Lily and Ally stopped beside her, all looking up. They stood like this a moment until they heard one of the guys laugh. The guys were staring at them as if they were crazy.

"What?" Lily asked, kicking snow at them.

"How about we save the stars for a warmer night, huh?" Sirius took Ally's hand, pulling her close.

"Seriously… let's get inside." Remus smiled and Eleanor wrapped her arms around his waist.

It wasn't long until they were back inside the castle, all of them singing the school song at the top of their lungs. They climbed the stairs toward the Gryffindor common room, their schoolmates looking at them as if they were all escapees from St. Mungo's psychiatric wing. They stopped at the third floor as Severus Snape and Lucius Malfoy cut them off at the stairs.

"Ah, hello, Potter." Lucius took in a deep breath, his expression turning to disgust. "What is it you wreak of?"

James just smiled. "Get lost, Malfoy."

"Celebrating something?" Lucius cocked a brow, looking them all over with great distaste.

James looked over at Lily proudly, taking her hand.

"Of course. Celebrating the beautiful Lily Evans, my future wife."

"Figures." Malfoy sneered. "Only you would waste your time with a filthy mud blood."

In the blink of an eye, Remus, Sirius, Peter, and James all had their wands pointed in Malfoy's face. Malfoy's eyes narrowed and he turned up his nose.

"Good day, then." He turned and walked around them, Severus following in tow.

The group turned, watching as they descended the stairs. Lily put a hand on James's arm.

"It's not worth it, James. Just let him go. It doesn't offend me."

"Well, it offends me!" James glared after Malfoy, just waiting for a reason to hex him. Unfortunately, Malfoy said nothing more and disappeared around a corner. James sighed. Next time.

"They're ridiculous." Eleanor rolled her eyes. "I'm completely Muggle born and probably better at magic than they are. What's the big deal?"

Remus shrugged, placing his wand back into his pocket. "To some wizards… that's the only thing they have to be proud of."

The moment had dampened their mood and they walked the rest of the way to the common room in tense silence. Once they were through the portrait hole, James turned to Lily and kissed her gently.

"I don't care what he says, Evans. I love you anyway."

"I would hope you wouldn't care what he said…" Lily laughed. "He's a fool."

"Goodnight, everyone." James waved to the rest of them, heading up to bed. Sirius and Peter followed behind him.

Remus hugged Eleanor tightly, kissing her cheek.

"Goodnight, Nell."

"Night, Remus… don't let them keep you up, alright? You're still looking a little sick, get some rest."

Remus laughed quietly, shaking his head. "You're too much, you know that?"

"Love you, too." Eleanor blew him a kiss before laughing and following the girls up to their dorm.


	3. A Secret

Eleanor woke the next morning and pulled open her bed curtains. Bright streams of sunlight came through the windows, stinging her eyes. Her head felt like it was ten times too big for her and she couldn't tell if she was going to throw up or fall over. Lily came over and sat on the edge of Eleanor's bed, smiling sweetly. She held out her hand and in her palm sat a small pink ball. It looked like a piece of chewing gum. Eleanor took it with a smirk.

"Tell me it will make this all go away."

"Oh, it will. Trust me. Come on, let's go and get breakfast."

Eleanor popped the gum into her mouth and got out of bed. A half hour later and they were headed down to the common room, Eleanor's head feeling much better. James, Sirius, Ally, and Peter were waiting by the portrait hole for them.

"How's your head?" James smiled.

"A lot better, thank you." Eleanor laughed. Noticing Remus was missing, she quirked a brow.

"Here I am." Remus said from behind them.

Eleanor turned around, her smile fading away instantly. Remus walked slightly hunched, looking exhausted. Dark circles framed his eyes and his skin was pale and clammy. Eleanor met him at the center of the room, putting a hand to his forehead.

"You don't look too good, Remus. Did you sleep?"

He smiled weakly. "Obviously not enough."

"Maybe you should go back to bed."

"I'm fine, Nell. I'm hungry." He waved her off.

"Really, I think you should lay down. I'll bring something back and come check on you. You know, you shouldn't have given me your coat yesterday. I told you you'd get sick."

Remus met eyes with James and Sirius over Nell's shoulder. Both were motioning toward the stairs with smirks, mouthing commands for him to go. He couldn't help his smile and he nodded.

"Alright, then."

"Good. I'll be back in a few." Eleanor smiled, leaning up to kiss his cheek. "Now go."

He turned, waving to the rest of them before heading back up to bed. In the Great Hall, Eleanor gathered pieces of egg, bacon, sausage, biscuits, and anything else she could find into a large napkin. She bid them goodbye and climbed the stairs back to the common room. Remus met her at the door to the boy's dorms at the top of the winding staircase. He held the door open for her and followed her over to his bed.

"I got all I could fit." She laughed.

He grinned. "I'm not sure it would even be enough for me."

"Go ahead. This is for you. I had a doughnut downstairs."

She placed the napkin in the middle of the bed and sat on the edge. He sat on the other side, bringing a leg up so he could face her.

"You're too good to me, Nell." He said, biting into a piece of sausage.

" Just repaying all of the good you do for me."

He just smiled, picking at the food. She sat quietly for a while, just looking around the room.

"How do you feel?"

"I feel fine."

She shook her head. "I don't understand how you feel fine when you look terrible."

"Well, thank you."

She smiled. "Oh, shush. Maybe we should take you to Pomfrey?"

He wrapped the rest of the food in the napkin and placed it on his nightstand. He laid down on his back with a sigh, looking up at her. Finally, he shook his head.

"No. I'm sure I'll be fine as long as you're here to take care of me."

She smirked, feeling her heart race slightly. "I'll stay as long as you want me to."

He laughed quietly, reaching over to take her hand in his, running his thumb across the back of it. She watched him for a moment before lying on her side, facing him. She reached out to run her fingers across his brow, wiping his hair out of the way.

"Are you excited about the wedding?"

Eleanor's smile widened. "Ecstatic. I'm so happy for them."

"And Maid of Honor. That's pretty spectacular."

"Yeah, I try." She laughed. "I can't wait… so much is going on. First graduation. Then the wedding."

"Yeah, I know."

She stayed quiet for a moment, biting her lip. "So… what happens after graduation?"

"What do you mean?"

"Well, with us."

He frowned. He'd been thinking about it a lot but hadn't come up with any possible conclusion. "Don't know."

"Well, who knows where you'll be staying. And I'll be with my family in London. We'd never see each other."

"I know."

She bit her lip. "Did you really mean what you said yesterday?"

"That I love you?" He smiled. After she nodded, he laughed quietly. "Yes, I meant it."

She nodded, an uneasy smile on her face. "Then… we should go somewhere together. Get a place somewhere… or something."

His smile faltered slightly. If this was going to get a serious as he thought it might, that would mean he would have to finally tell her.

"Nell…"

"Well, we don't have to. It was just an idea."

"No, I want to. Really, I do. I just think that… you know, we should really know what we're getting into."

She frowned, raising a brow. "What do you mean?"

"Well, I mean… we should make sure we really know each other."

"Remus." She almost laughed. "I've known you for seven years and I've been dating you for four of them. If I don't know you, I think there's something wrong there."

"Well, I don't know everything about you."

"We're not supposed to know everything about each other. Where's the fun in that? Relationships need mystery. You need to keep each other guessing, it's what keeps it fun and exciting."

"Look, Eleanor. I just think that before we go into this… there are some things you should know."

She nodded. "Go ahead."

"Well, I… look, it isn't simple." He rolled onto his back, looking up at the bed curtains.

She sat up, confused. What could he possibly have been keeping from her for this long? He stayed quiet for a while and the expression on his face seemed to reflect some inward argument.

"Must be something big."

He laughed, closing his eyes. She smiled, just waiting. When he pulled his hands away from his face, she noticed his eyes watering like he was going to cry.

"Oh, Remus. Look, if it's so hard…you-"

"I know." He rubbed his eyes quickly, embarrassed. "I'm sorry."

"It's okay."

She shushed him, laying back down and resting her head on his chest. "Let's just forget about it for now. You'll think of the right time to tell me."

She closed her eyes, feeling his arm drape over her, his fingers running along her back.

"Thank you." He said quietly.

She just smiled and lay there quietly, falling asleep in his arms.

Eleanor climbed down the stairs from the boys' dorm, receiving a few weird looks from the crowd of Gryffindors in the common room. Sirius, James, Ally, and Lily were seated in the armchairs by the fire, each looking up with a knowing smirk.

"So, how is he?" Sirius quirked a brow.

Eleanor rolled her eyes, knowing what they were thinking. "Tired. He's asleep." She squished into an armchair next to Lily.

"Well, of course. He was exhausted to begin with and you had to go and completely wear him out!"

"He wasn't complaining!" She shot back with a smug smile.

Lily and Ally cracked up and Sirius covered his ears.

"Yeah, I didn't need that information, thank you!"

"Oh, grow up, Sirius." Eleanor rolled her eyes. "What have you been up to? Why's everyone so… lively?"

"Dumbledore made an announcement over breakfast. They're throwing a ball!" Lily giggled excitedly.

James sighed, shaking his head. "I'm telling you. Giggling should be made illegal."

"A ball? That's brilliant!" Eleanor grinned, sitting back and imagining what kind of dress she would wear.

"I've been thinking all night about the best possible way to ask Ally to go with me." Sirius thought aloud.

Everyone turned to look at him and Ally flushed a bright pink.

"And that certainly wasn't it." He continued, looking slightly flustered. "So, uh…. Ally, would you like to go with me?"

She smiled nervously, tucking her hair behind her ears. "Yeah, sure."

"I wonder who I should ask…" James pondered, surveying the room.

Lily cleared her throat noisily, raising a brow. When James met her eyes, he smiled.

"Why, Lily. Would you like to go with me?"

"Why, yes, James. I would."

Eleanor rolled her eyes with a half hearted laugh. They were sickening sometimes.

"So much is happening… I'm so excited." She said leaning back in her chair and looking up at the ceiling.

"I'm excited about graduation." Ally laughed. "I might be able to go and play Quidditch for a women's league."

"That's awesome, Ally. You're certainly good enough." James nodded in her direction. James and Ally were both key members to the Gryffindor Quidditch team.

Ally just smiled gratefully, crossing her arms.

"And you guys… with the wedding." Eleanor added. "That I'm pretty psyched about. And… life after Hogwarts."

Sirius put on a worried look. "There's going to be life after Hogwarts?"

"Hopefully." Ally laughed. "Hey, have you guys finished that Charms essay?"

"Yeah…" James grabbed his bag from his feet and snatched it open, taking out the rolled up parchment and handing it to her.

She took it with a smile. "I don't know how you guys find time for this stuff."

Eleanor stood up with a yawn, stretching her arms above her head. "I'm headed up. Night, everyone."

"Night, Nell." They answered behind her as she climbed the stars to the girls' dorm.


	4. The Shrieking Shack

Eleanor, Lily, and Ally descended the staircase to the common room to find the boys waiting for them at the bottom, still in pajamas.

"James… why aren't you dressed? You can't go like that." Lily questioned.

James sighed. "I'm not going, Lily. "

"Where's Remus?" Eleanor asked, stepping forward.

Sirius reached out and rubbed her shoulder. "Look, he's not doing too well. So we're going to stay behind and keep him company. He wants you to go and get your dress and everything though, Nell."

"But-" Eleanor began.

James interrupted her, smiling coyly. "Nell, it's okay. We'll take good care of him, we promise."

"We'll even give him a giant kiss for you, too." Sirius laughed.

Eleanor smiled. "Yeah, right."

"Alright, then. Tell Remus to feel better." Lily waved goodbye to the boys.

Once they were out of the portrait hole, Eleanor turned to the others with a concerned sigh. "This is getting ridiculous. How does he get sick so often?"

"I know!" Lily frowned. "And then he'll disappear into the hospital wing for a few days, Pomfrey won't let us near him. It's getting slightly suspicious."

Eleanor nodded, wondering if maybe this had anything to do with what he wanted to tell her. Maybe he has some sort of disease?

"Maybe he's poisoning himself to get out of stuff." Lily offered with a shrug.

Eleanor looked at her like she was crazy. "He wouldn't do that."

Ally piped up, clearing her throat. "Maybe he's a werewolf."

Lily and Eleanor stopped dead, turning to her with confused smiles.

"Definitely not." Eleanor laughed.

"That's just ridiculous, Ally."

Ally shrugged. "I don't know. Just an idea." She laughed.

"What kind of idea is that?" Eleanor grumbled.

Ally frowned. "Look, it was just a joke, Nell. I just think it's curious how he's always getting sick like… once a month. Going away for a few days… you get it?"

Lily stifled a laugh and Eleanor glared at her. "What? Don't tell me you agree?"

"No." Lily laughed. "Just the once a month thing… and I almost pondered him secretly being a woman. But then I thought about it… and you'd know, wouldn't you?"

A smile crept onto Eleanor's face and she batted an arm at Lily. "Oh, shut up."

"Hello, ladies." A familiar voice sounded from their left.

They turned to look and found themselves faced with Severus Snape. He stepped up, his arms crossed against his pitiful robes and his nose stuck in the air like usual. He met eyes with Eleanor and she thought she might have caught a hint of a smile.

"Hey, Severus. Are you coming to Hogsmeade also?" Lily smiled.

Eleanor smirked, looking over at Lily. It made James crazy to think of her having a civilized conversation with 'Snivelly'.

"Thankfully, no. I'm not. I have no interest in it." He closed his eyes dramatically and looked away.

Eleanor smirked. "Oh, no? Why not?"

"It just proves how completely immature the students in this school are, Eleanor. Going to their joke shops and playing with ridiculous artifacts. We're here to learn. To prepare ourselves for-" He stopped, looking away from Eleanor quickly as Ally spoke up.

"We're here everyday learning and preparing… I think it's okay to have a life sometimes, Severus."

He scrunched his nose up as he looked Ally over. Then he figured it wasn't worth it and turned on his heel to leave.

"Have fun in Hogsmeade, Lily and Eleanor."

Once he was out of range, the three of them laughed and continued out of the door.

"What was that all about?" Ally questioned.

"I don't know. But I think he's seriously got it in for you, Nell. Just wait until I tell Remus."

"Oh, gross, Lily. That's a ridiculous idea." Eleanor argued. "I don't even want to think about it."

"Running your fingers through his greasy hair… kissing his-" Ally joked.

"Enough!" Eleanor laughed, picking up a handful of snow and throwing it at her.

The sun was setting by the time they made it out of Gladrag's Wizard Wears, large rectangular packages under their arms.

"Hey, look. A full moon." Lily pointed out the round moon, pale against a vivid pink and blue sky.

Ally smirked, mocking a howl under her breath. Eleanor turned to her with narrowed eyes and Ally quieted immediately.

"That's what I thought." Eleanor smiled smugly.

Ally laughed, looking around them. "Hey, you guys. I think that we should go check out the Shrieking Shack. Have you ever been there?"

"No, not yet." Lily shook her head.

Eleanor's stomach turned lightly. "I don't know…"

"Oh, come on. It's perfect time! The sun is setting… there's a full moon. Come on, just as an end to an incredible day. If it's too scary, we'll just… run like devils all the way back to school."

Eleanor frowned, remembering what Remus had told her.

"But, Remus said…" She began.

"Oh, did he tell you about first year?" Lily sighed. "Nell, that was so long ago… James said it wasn't that bad."

"Wasn't that bad? Did you see his scars? Something attacked him!"

"It was probably a… dog or something. It's probably dead or gone now." Ally shrugged.

"And what if it isn't?"

"Then, like Ally said… we'll run like devils all the way home." Lily smirked.

The girls both took one of Eleanor's arms, pulling her toward the Shack. Finally, her curiosity getting the better of her, she gave in and allowed herself to be towed along. Her stomach felt uneasy and she knew Remus would be mad.

"Remus can't know that we did this."

"Secret's safe with me." Lily smirked, locking her lips and throwing away an invisible key.

"Me too!" Ally laughed.

The girls stopped at the door, stacking their packages up on the walkway. The house was tall and crooked, the wood rotten and damp. The windows were boarded up from the inside, some wooden planks missing, allowing a view of tattered red curtains. The sun was almost completely set, casting an eerie red glow upon the house. Just looking at it made Eleanor want to turn around and run.

"Come on… let's go inside." Lily started forward, her wand pointed at the doorknob. "Alohomora."

The door unlocked and slowly creaked inward. Ally put herself forward, pushing it open gently and walking inside. The two followed her into the center of the foyer. It was pitch black except for a few beams of red light shining through the wood on the windows. Eleanor raised her wand, whispering "Lumos." The tip of her wand lit up brightly, shedding light throughout the foyer. Rats squeaked and scattered.

"Oh, gross." Lilly whispered.

A loud bang stopped their hearts and they all spun around, eyes wide. Eleanor gripped a hand to her chest with a heavy sigh. The front door had slammed shut in the wind. Ally shook her head and pushed Eleanor toward the staircase.

"You go first, you've got the light."

"Here, take it!" Eleanor tried to hand it to her but the other two weren't having it. She swallowed the lump in her throat, taking soft steps toward the stairs. She put her hand on the banister gently, then proceeded to climb the stairs one by one. Some gave violent creaks and moans and she silently prayed that they'd hold her.

They all stopped dead, hearing muffled voices coming from upstairs. It sounded like people whispering. Then there was a loud thud and scuffling on the floor. Eleanor put out her light and climbed a few more stairs, peeking over onto the next floor. All she could see, illuminated by small slivers of moonlight, was a man on his hands and knees with his forehead pressed against the floor. He breathed deeply, grunting like he was in pain and digging his nails into the floor. And there were the whispers again.

"What is it?" The other girls whispered.

Eleanor turned, seeing that the girls hadn't even followed her up the stairs. She motioned for them to be quiet, then turned her attention back to the man. Her eyes widened slightly. The man's hands had changed in the past few seconds. They became long and claw like, sprouting thick brown fur. Just then, he threw himself back, resting on his knees and screaming in pain. Eleanor's heart stopped. She recognized that face.

"Remus!" She whispered loudly, charging up the stairs. When she reached the top and ran to the door, Remus was nowhere to be found. In his place was a huge, snarling werewolf. Eleanor gasped, taking a step back. The werewolf looked at her curiously for a moment, before beginning to growl. Her heart raced and she didn't know whether to cry or scream for help. She continued backing up slowly until she was out of the room. Suddenly, the werewolf let out a long howl and charged at her. Eleanor screamed, bumping into the railing and flipping over. Lily and Ally screamed as Eleanor came crashing down beside them, her arm cracking loudly as it connected with the banister. The werewolf stopped at the top of the stairs, staring at the two girls at the bottom and growling viciously.

Eleanor could barely make sense of anything going on around her. Everything was muffled and drowned out by the searing pain in her arm. She could hear screaming and pounding and growling. Then she was being lifted up and dragged out through the front door. Looking up, she saw the one who was carrying her was James. Then everything went black.


	5. A Visit From Dumbledore

Eleanor woke with a start, bolting upright and looking around the room. Her face was hot and she was covered in sweat. The room was unfamiliar and dark and she stared around, her eyes wide to take in any light. What was going on? Did that really happen or was she having a nightmare? She went to run her hands over her eyes and cried out as a jolt of pain ran through her arm. She looked down at it, realizing it was in a sling. And then reality hit her. It wasn't a dream at all. That had really happened. She felt her heart race and her eyes fill with tears.

"Lily!"

A light turned on in a small office at the end of the ward. A dark figure appeared in the doorway and quickly hurried toward her, heels clicking on the stone floor. Eleanor felt herself go weak, all she could think of was the monster coming toward her. She screamed as she felt firm hand grab her shoulders and fought the person off.

"Miss Black! Miss Black, it's okay! It's the nurse! It's Pomfrey!"

Eleanor came to her senses for a second, letting go of Pomfrey's arms. She felt Madam Pomfrey pull her close and wrap her arms around her. Eleanor laid her head on her shoulder, unable to control her crying.

"Shh. It's alright, Dear. It was just a nightmare."

Just a nightmare? Did she really have any idea? Eleanor pulled away slightly.

"Where are Lily and Ally? Did they make it? Are they okay?"

"They're fine!" Pomfrey assured her, waving her wand and illuminating a lamp on her bedside table. "They dropped you off here and stayed all night with you. I finally sent them to bed a few hours ago."

Eleanor sighed, wiping her eyes with her good hand. She couldn't grasp what had just happened. She couldn't believe that Remus was really a monster after all. She couldn't believe that he had tried to kill her. The more she thought about it, the more worked up she got and she couldn't stop sobbing.

"Here." She heard Pomfrey whisper.

Eleanor looked up at the nurse, who was holding out a small cup of water. Eleanor took it and took a deep breath to try and calm down before drinking it. She tilted back the glass, downing its contents and handing it back to her. She suddenly felt tired and woozy. She laid back against the pillow and closed her eyes, hearing Pomfrey heading back to her office. All of her cares seemed to melt away and she sighed happily, quickly falling asleep. When she woke again, the room was brightly lit. She opened her eyes quickly and looked around, jumping when she saw a figure next to her bed.

"Careful!" Lily said, placing a hand on Eleanor's good arm.

Eleanor closed her eyes with a sigh, trying to slow her heartbeat again.

"Lily… you scared me half to death."

Eleanor forced herself to sit up and turn toward Lily. She noticed James standing about a foot behind her.

"You." Eleanor narrowed her eyes at him. "Why were you there? What were you doing there?"

"Nell," He stepped forward, looking angry. "You were the ones who weren't supposed to be there!"

James looked around, lowering his voice to a harsh whisper. "We told you to stay away and you just couldn't help yourselves."

"James!" Lily elbowed him roughly.

"No!" Eleanor shouted. Lily and James looked around frantically, motioning for her to quiet herself. But she couldn't, not now. "You said that there would be some sort of little ghost going to heckle us and frighten us away!"

"Eleanor, please…" James raised his hands in retreat.

Eleanor slid off of the bed, stepping forward and pointing viciously at him. "You didn't say anything about my bloody boyfriend turning into some…. Vicious… crazed monster! He didn't say 'Hey, Eleanor, you better watch out because I go crazy on full moons and I'll try to kill you!'" She yelled in a mocking voice, waving her good arm around.

"He couldn't!" James hollered back. "And this is why! No one understands it! Everyone's afraid of it!"

"Well, I guess so!" Eleanor screamed now, her vision blurred with tears. "I can't sleep… can't close my eyes without seeing those… bloody teeth coming at me, James, do you know what that's like?! How could he tell me he loved me and fail to mention that he's not even human?!"

Pomfrey came running down the hall now. "Miss Black, don't make me have to sedate you again!"

Eleanor ignored her, still screaming at James. "So this is how he would have rather I found out?! Instead of warning me of what I was getting myself into when I married him? Does that sound right to you?!"

Eleanor grabbed her wand from the bedside table, pointing it in Pomfrey's face as she reached to grab her. Pomfrey stopped with a surprised gasp.

"ELEANOR BLACK!" A familiar voice hollered from the doorway.

Everyone turned to look as Dumbledore charged down the ward, stopping beside Pomfrey and putting a hand on her arm. Pomfrey excused herself, hurrying back to her office.

"I'm aware that you're upset right now, Eleanor, and you have every right to be but your behavior right now is totally unacceptable. I'm going to ask that you lower your wand immediately."

Shocked, Eleanor did as she was told. "You knew, too?"

"Of course I did."

"And you didn't think it was necessary to inform parents of the dangers you were subjecting your students to?" She spat.

"Not when I took all of the necessary precautions!" He raised a brow. "This accident… is a direct result of your foolishness, Miss Black. Not mine."

Eleanor opened her mouth to say something but Dumbledore spoke before she could get it out.

"If you please, Potter…Evans."

Lily and James turned reluctantly, and exited the ward. Dumbledore motioned for Eleanor to sit. She hesitated at first, then sat back against her pillows. Dumbledore settled himself at the foot of her bed.

"How is your arm?"

"It hurts." She grumbled, looking down at her lap.

"As I suspected." Dumbledore drew in a sharp breath. "Miss Black, Remus Lupin should not be denied an education… or a life, for that matter… because of an unfortunate event that happened when he was too young to have helped himself. You shouldn't hold it against him."

Eleanor stayed quiet. She wasn't about to discuss her relationship with the headmaster of the school.

"He's a brilliant boy, very talented. It's too bad that there isn't a cure for his condition. And, as of now, there are no treatments. So, he agreed that if he were to come to this school, during full moons, he would be placed in a safe house. Somewhere far away from the other students so that he may not harm anyone. You know the Shrieking Shack is off limits and I hear you were warned by your friends not to go there."

"So it's my fault that he lied to me… and tried to kill me?" Eleanor snapped, raising a brow.

Dumbledore just looked at her calmly. "Yes, it is. He's the same boy you've always known, only now you know his darkest secret, Eleanor. Think on it… and choose wisely how you wish to handle it. I hope you feel better."

Dumbledore got up and walked out of the room. Eleanor sighed, closing her eyes tightly against the rushing tears.


	6. Denied

Eleanor swung her legs over the side of the bed as Madam Pomfrey came to her side, gently touching her arm.

"Does that hurt?" She asked, raising a brow.

Eleanor didn't look up. "Just a slight sting."

She heard Madam Pomfrey draw in a breath and slowly let it out.

"Really, I think I'm fine to go." Eleanor pleaded. "I'll leave it in the sling."

Madam Pomfrey gave a sympathetic smile. Eleanor had been in there for four days now and was growing restless. She didn't think she could stare out the window for another second.

"Alright." Pomfrey finally agreed. "But come back to see me in two days."

"Two days, okay." Eleanor slid onto her feet and proceeded across the ward. She stopped as she turned to head down the hallway.

Remus was standing against the wall, head down and hands shoved into his pockets like they always were when he was nervous. Her heart sank slightly as he lifted his head to look at her. Sloping downward across his face were three long scratches, deep but no longer bleeding.

"You should let Pomfrey have a look at those." She said coolly.

She didn't know what to feel around him. All she could tell was that looking at him hurt. He'd lied to her and then tried to kill her, but she couldn't but remember loving him. He looked exhausted and completely worn out, but his eyes were alert, looking over her as he tried to think of what to say. He pushed off from the wall and took a slow step toward her, his eyes on the floor.

"I…I just wanted to make sure you were okay." He looked up at her again, maybe hoping for an answer. Maybe hoping for her to hug him and tell him everything was fine.

The very thought turned her stomach. "I'm fine." She said, looking away from him. She didn't know what to say next, so she turned and headed away from him.

"Oh, Nell…" He sighed, following behind her. He caught up, grabbing her arm and turning her around. She tugged it away from him with a cold glare.

"Don't!"

"Nell, please. I tried to tell you-"

"But you didn't! Four years, Remus… and you told me nothing. How did you think I was going to find out?"

"I tried to tell you that day you brought me break-" He started, his eyes desperate.

"It doesn't matter anymore." She interrupted him, shaking her head. "Please… just leave me alone."

She turned again to head toward the common room.

"Fine." He whispered, biting into his lip.

Remus climbed in through the portrait hole after a long stroll across the grounds. James, Lily, Ally, and Sirius were lounging around in the oversized chairs by the fire. Thankfully, Eleanor had already gone up to bed. Lily stood up as he entered the common room, walking up to him and giving him a warm hug.

"Did you talk to her?"

Remus sighed, giving Lily an unenthusiastic pat on the back. "I tried. She wasn't having any of it."

Lily pulled away, looking up at him. He could see the genuine concern and hurt in her eyes and wondered why Eleanor hadn't taken a few lessons in humanity from her best friend.

"I know she'll realize how foolish she's being, Remus. Just give her time."

He could only nod and hope that this was true. He didn't know how much longer he could go without talking to her.

"Come and sit down with us…" Lily took his hand, motioning toward the gang by the fire.

"No… I think I'm just going to head up to bed."

"Oh, Remus…" She began with a sigh.

"Really," He added, taking his hand from hers. "I'm tired."

He turned away, waving to the rest of his friends and heading up to his dorm. Lily came back to the fire, sitting down next to James. Once he was out of sight, James spoke up.

"You guys really screwed things up." He said crossly, running a hand through his messy hair.

Lily shot him a threatening glance. "We screwed up? How were we supposed to know he was there?"

"And how were we supposed to know he was really a werewolf?" Ally snapped.

"Oh, don't tell me you couldn't tell!" Sirius rolled his eyes. "We knew right away. It was so obvious. Always getting sick around the full moon…leaving and coming back exhausted and scratched up."

"We felt so bad for the guy, we finally found a way to go and keep him company. He was going mad in that house… with nothing to get at so he got at himself." James added.

Sirius continued. "And with Eleanor now ignoring him-"

"How would you feel in her place?" Lily sat forward, glaring back and forth at them both. "They've been together for almost four years now and he never told her! She finds out too late just when he was about to tear us all to shreds!"

James shushed her and she looked around, making sure they were alone.

"Well, he didn't tell us either." Sirius argued. "He was afraid of something like this happening! All of his life, people have been so prejudiced and judgmental… he's never had any friends. And now that he has the best friends he could ever ask for, he can't afford to lose him. We can't afford to lose him either. He's a great guy. So you better go and tell Eleanor to wake up and stop being so dramatic. This guy's been through more than she or any of us could ever imagine!"

Sirius pushed himself out of his chair and headed off for the stairs to the boys' dorm.

"Sirius…" Ally called to him.

He stopped and turned back to her, but said nothing.

"Make sure he's at breakfast tomorrow. We'll drag her down there… he should really try to talk to her."

Sirius nodded, turning and climbing the stairs. James stood up also.

"We should all probably get to bed."

The girls stood in silent agreement, heading upstairs.

Eleanor woke with a start, in a cold sweat and breathing heavily. She sighed and fell back against her pillow, hearing only the quiet snores from the girls sleeping around her. She was getting tired of the nightmares and wished they would just go away. She closed her eyes and rubbed them with her fists. She'd been running toward a small child who was reaching for a doorknob. Hollering and pleading, but the child ignored her. The small boy reached the door first, pulling it open with an excited squeal and before Eleanor could do anything, she saw him. The monster in the basement. Eleanor opened her eyes quickly as Lily and Ally sat on either side of her. Sunlight illuminated the room and she squinted against it. She didn't even remember falling back to sleep.

"Come on, sleepyhead. It's time for breakfast." Lily said with a smile.

"I'm too tired."

"Yeah, we thought you might say that." Ally said almost too happily. "So we came prepared."

Both of the girls held up tall glasses of ice water. Eleanor's eyes opened wide and she sat up.

"That's not fair. Look, really… I'm exhausted."

"A little nourishment might help… you should come and get something to eat."

"Well, I'm not hungry."

Lily sighed, finally frustrated. "What is your _problem_? Get up now and go and talk to him!"

Eleanor rolled her eyes, feeling her stomach turn. The very idea made her want to shrivel up and die. "I can't."

"Why not?" Ally asked simply.

"Because I just can't… I'm not… finished being angry with him yet."

"So tell him you're angry! Tell him you're hurt! He'll apologize and that's all he can do." Lily hollered, waving her arms.

"What's _your_ problem?" Eleanor looked at her like she was crazy.

"You are my problem, Eleanor! You've been dwelling on this for days and I hate seeing two people so in love as you two… torn apart for such a dumb reason!"

Eleanor stared at her, wide-eyed. Stupid reason? She felt her anger rising inside of her and she wanted nothing more than to punch Lily in her face. Lily seemed to sense the tension and took a deep breath, sighing loudly in attempts to calm herself.

"Look, Eleanor. We all know you love him. And we know he loves you more than… bloody life itself. You can work through this. This is manageable."

"No, Lily! I'm sorry but it isn't!" Eleanor climbed out of her bed, shoving the two girls out of her way. Once she was a few feet away, she turned back and pointed at them. "I cannot live like this! With secrets… and being afraid of him! I won't be looked at as… I don't know, the girl who married the monster. I won't be shunned and ignored by the neighbors and left out of gatherings because my husband's a werewolf. You know how people are, Lily. I can't deal with that kind of life… I won't sacrifice my… normalcy for some stupid boy!"

Lily's face grew red and she stood up, walking toward her slowly. "I know exactly how those people are, Eleanor. And I thought you were better. Turns out you're just another one of them."

Lily bumped her shoulder and she passed her and left the room. Ally slowly got up and followed her, saying nothing and avoiding Eleanor's eyes at all costs. Eleanor locked the door behind them, falling to the floor and finally breaking down in tears. She didn't know what she was going to do. Why did this have to happen to her?


	7. insert related title here

James looked up, his smile fading quickly as he saw the look on Lily's face and the tears streaming from her eyes. He pushed himself up and ran to meet her, taking hold of her arms.

"Oh, James! She's lucky I didn't just… punch her right in her face! She's being a spoiled git and she knows it"

"Shush, Lily. It's alright. She'll get over it." He said to try and calm her, gently rubbing her arms.

"I'm not so sure about that, James." Lily said so only he could hear. "You should have heard the things she said."

Sirius stood up with a sigh, taking advantage of the fact that everyone's attention was on James and Lily. He quietly left the room and headed back up to the common room. He stood in the stairwell of the girls' dorms, knowing full well he couldn't go up there. He'd seen James try to do it once and the stairs simply collapsed, sending him sliding down onto his butt.

"Eleanor!" He called, staying quiet a moment to hear her response. There was none. "Eleanor, it's Sirius…"

He heard a door open from upstairs and footsteps. Eleanor appeared from around the corner a moment later, dressed in a jacket and warm clothing. She stopped when she saw him, her eyes puffy and red from crying. He frowned, reaching out for her hand.

"Walk with me." He offered.

She took his hand without a word and followed him to the portrait hole. They made it downstairs and outside before she said a word.

"Sirius… I don't know what to do."

Sirius sat down against a tree by the lake, pulling her down beside him. He sighed, throwing a pebble into the water. She felt the ground around her in search for one to throw also.

"I've been trying to figure this out." She continued. "And I just can't. I don't know why I can't get over it."

He looked over at her, holding out a stone he found by his knee. "This isn't exactly an easy thing to swallow, Nell. It's gonna take time."

She took it from him with a nod, throwing it toward the water and barely even getting it in. He smiled as it bounced off the bank and plopped into the water with a dull thud.

"That was pathetic."

"I know." She gave an attempt at a smile and turned to him, folding her arms against the cold.

"I don't know what I feel anymore. I screamed at Lily this morning… I said some things that I'm not sure that I meant. I'm not sure that I didn't mean them, either."

"Well, what did you say?"

Eleanor wore a pained expression. She felt stupid for repeating it, it sounded so ridiculous. But she wasn't sure it was a lie either. Somewhere deep down, she really believed it.

"Something along the lines of… 'I won't give up my normalcy for a stupid boy.'"

Sirius nodded, looking away from her. "He's not just a stupid boy."

"I know." She agreed, looking down.

"He just told me last week that you told him you loved him. He sounded rather excited about it."

"Sirius, it's different…"

"What's different?" He asked, shifting himself to face her.

She hated when he did this, questioned her. It made her feel stupid like she didn't have the right idea about something. Well, perhaps if she couldn't back it up, then she didn't.

"I wish that he would have told me from the beginning… maybe I wouldn't have gotten so attached to him."

"What's wrong with being attached?"

"Everything!" Eleanor snapped. She was getting frustrated. "I feel like… like he lied to me just to keep me. Had me in the dark because he knew I wouldn't have liked him as much if he'd told me."

"And we see that he was right."

"Well, that wasn't fair to me, Sirius! I shouldn't have been left in the dark! I deserve a choice!"

Sirius frowned. "That's true."

"And I hate that… I had to find out this way." She wiped furiously at her eyes, trying not to cry.

"Look, Nell…"

"And…I don't think he even knows what I would have had to sacrifice to be with him!"

"On the contrary, I think he does. It'd be the same thing he's had to sacrifice since the day he was bitten!" Sirius snapped.

"Something I've had all of my life that maybe I'm not willing to give up! Having people talking about me and ignoring me and insulting me because I'm married to a.. a…"

"A werewolf."

Eleanor and Sirius both looked up, seeing Remus standing over them. Eleanor thought she was gong to be sick and she silently prayed Sirius would stay. Sirius met eyes with Remus and stood up, giving him a pat on the arm before walking away. After a moment of hesitation, Remus sat down in his place. Eleanor stared at the ground, unable to bring herself to look at him.

"I won't lie to you and tell you that it won't be hard, Nell."

"Why didn't you tell me?" She began, hugging her knees to her chest. "About the Shrieking Shack… Why didn't you just tell me that you were the monster in the first place?'

Remus frowned, feeling sick. "I am not a monster and you know it, Eleanor. Don't be a git."

She looked up at him quickly, her eyes wide. He had never said anything like that to her before and she was too shocked to be offended.

"Nothing's changed about me. I'm still the same person! If we were married, you'd be dealing with the same thing you've always been dealing with, Nell, only now you'll know where I disappear to once a month and why I'm so sick which is good because I'm tired of having to make those ridiculous excuses!" He hollered.

Her heart broke. She'd never seen him this upset before. He looked like he was going to cry.

"I know I should have told you sooner but I was so afraid that you would do something like this! I should've told you before you got the chance to find out the way you did and if I could go back and change things, I would. If I could change what I am for you, I would! But I can't."

He put a hand over his mouth but quickly pulled it away as it pulled at the cuts on his face. He cursed aloud, looking away from her. She found herself at a loss for words. Right now he was perfectly, painstakingly human and any argument she could have made would sound just foolish. Here he was, for the first time, with his heart in her hands, open and vulnerable. She had no idea how to go about handling it.

She looked away from him, resting her chin on her knee. "I had a dream last night."

"Oh, yeah? And what horrible thing did I do to you in it?" He asked with an eerie calm as he wiped at his eyes with his coat sleeve.

"Not to me. It was our son." She looked back at him.

His ears and cheeks went red and she knew she made him angry. Why did she bother saying it? What was she trying to do to him?

"Nothing like that will happen."

"And how do you-"

"Because I wouldn't let it!" He hollered, looking over at her.

"Well, what about me and-"

"I didn't let that happen, Nell, you did! I told you not to go there and had you listened to me, none of this would have-"

"And I'd still be in the dark! You were never going to tell me! I'd just have to find out some other time down along the line… I don't know, maybe when you escape the bloody basement I have to lock you in and tear me to shreds on the living room carpet!"

"Shut up! I said I was sorry! I tried to tell you and you don't understand how hard that was! People are so prejudiced against my kind that it's impossible to tell anyone! You're being stubborn and… stupid! I tried to keep you safe and I warned you and did all that I could, but you had to…"

"I know. I didn't listen! This is all my fault!"

They were screaming at each other now and unaware that their friends were watching them from the castle doors. Lily covered her mouth to muffle her crying and Ally hugged Sirius, burying her head in his shoulder.

"No, it isn't." Remus finally lowered his voice, collapsing against the tree. "The fault is on both of us. I'm sorry for everything. I know what I should have done and I didn't. I can't change it. There's no cure, not even a treatment yet. Trust me, ever since I met you, I've searched."

Eleanor's throat swelled and she hid her face in her arm. They both stayed quiet, allowing themselves a moment to calm down.

"I'm sorry." She said finally. "I'm just… overwhelmed. I've never been faced with anything like this before and I really don't know what to do."

He stayed quiet, not wanting to say what he really wanted to say. He knew it would only start another fight. She looked over at him with a sigh, her eyes taking in everything about him.

"I just need time to think about it, Remus."

"Take all the time you need." He stood up and stalked off toward the castle.

She just watched him go.


	8. A Date For The Ball

The next few weeks seemed to go in slow motion. Eleanor barely had time to think with all of the studying for her N.E.W.Ts and talk of the ball. The halls buzzed with talk of dresses and hairstyles and dates. Eleanor, Lily, and Ally sat in the library, leafing through their textbooks and not really reading at all. With the ball a day away, the librarian had long given up on silencing the students and instead sat, frazzled, behind her desk.

"I think I'm going to wear my hair up…" Lily stated simply, staring out into space. "Maybe a few curls coming down."

Ally laughed. "That sounds cute. I was thinking the same thing, you rotten little idea stealer."

Eleanor looked up as someone beside her tapped her on the shoulder and cleared their throat. She gave a horrible attempt at a smile as she found herself looking up at Severus Snape. He kept the same cold expression he always had, his hair hanging down to his chin in greasy pieces. She just stared at him for a moment, wondering what he could possibly have wanted. Had she borrowed a book of his and forgotten to give it back?

"Hello, Severus…"

He lowered his head for a second as acknowledgement, then looked across the room. "A moment please?"

She hesitated before standing. "I'll be back, guys."

She proceeded to follow Severus through a maze of bookshelves, his head snapping in every direction to make sure no one was around. He brought her all the way into the back rows of books that no one ever bothered to look at. She slowed to a stop, it finally occurring to her that he might attack her or hex her.

"Severus, what is this about?"

He turned around, looking at her. "Is it true…?"

Her heart sped up. "Is what true?" Surely he couldn't know.

His eyes softened slightly and he took a step toward her. "That you and that… that dreadful boy are no longer… together?"

She frowned but was glad he didn't know anymore than that. "Yes, it's true."

"Oh." He looked down, gripping his robes in his fists.

She waited a moment, but he said nothing else.

"Is that all you wanted to know, Severus?"

She heard a harsh whisper from somewhere behind the bookcase next to them and Severus grew even more uncomfortable. He looked downright nervous. He looked around at the floor, not daring to meet her eyes.

"No…no, it isn't."

She couldn't help but smile, her eyes railing over to the bookcase. She saw, staring back at her, a pair of green eyes and flowing brown hair. They widened slightly, shocked at being caught, and disappeared.

"Than what else did you want?" She asked, holding back a laugh.

"I just wanted to know… if you would go to the ball with me tomorrow."

She thought a moment, not knowing if she was really surprised by this. And what would it mean, going with him? The Gryffindors would all despise her and Remus… he would be pissed.

"Sure." She nodded. "I'd love to."

His eyes widened slightly and he stared at her a moment like that wasn't the answer he expected. It wasn't the answer she had expected either.

"Why not?" She shrugged.

After a moment, he cleared his throat in attempt to regain his composure. "Right… well, then. I'll see you tomorrow."

"Yeah, tomorrow." Eleanor made her way back to the table.

She sat down across from Ally and Lily who stared at her expectantly, on the edge of their seats. She thought about it for a moment, rolling it around in her head. Did this really just happen? Had she really said yes? Looking annoyed, like she didn't think she should really have to ask, Ally spoke up.

"So, what was that all about?"

Eleanor looked up at them finally. "Severus just asked me to the ball."

They both looked at her for a moment before breaking out into quiet laughter.

"Are you serious?" Ally covered her mouth.

"I can't believe he… did he really think you'd-" Lily started, amazed.

When Eleanor didn't respond, they both grew serious. Then Ally's face fell.

"Oh, don't tell me you-"

But she couldn't even finish her sentence.

"I didn't want to hurt his feelings and I didn't have a date anyway."

"OH, IN THE NAME OF MERLIN!" Ally hollered, getting to her feet.

The librarian rushed over, her face bright red. "Out, now! You girls are much too loud. OUT!"

The girls got up quickly, shuffling out of the room. The librarian slammed the door behind them and the three girls stood in the hallway for a moment, not knowing what to say to each other. Ally rolled her eyes and headed toward the Great Hall for lunch. Lily and Eleanor trailed behind her quietly. They made it to their table and sat down opposite James, Sirius, Peter, and Remus. None of the girls said anything and the boys just looked at them, confused.

"Well, hello, ladies." Sirius smiled. "How's your day going?"

"Just peachy." Ally hissed.

James gave a pained expression, not knowing if he should ask. "What… happened?"

Ally put on a fake grin, looking over at Eleanor. "Oh, why don't you tell him, Nell?"

Eleanor clenched her fists, fighting the urge to punch her. She brought her eyes up to meet Sirius's and spoke through a painted smile. "Severus Snape of Slytherin… surely you've heard of him?"

Sirius eyed her curiously. "Yeah…"

Eleanor clapped her hands together, fluttering her eyelashes and speaking in an over dramatized voice. "Well, I think he's quite swell and when he approached me in the library this morning and asked me to the ball, it was as if all of my dreams came true and I just had to say yes."

"Wait! What?!"

Eleanor got serious, glaring across at him. "I said yes! I'm going to the ball with Severus."

"I… I can't believe…SNIVELLUS?!" Sirius looked like he would be sick.

"Oh, would you stop calling him that? What did he ever do to you?" Eleanor threw a roll at him.

Remus looked down, closing his eyes tightly. While he had been waiting for Eleanor to decide whether or not she could be with him, he lost her. To Snape, none the less.

"What did he ever-?! What… what did he have to do? He's Snivellus!"

Eleanor stood up quickly, slamming her hands on the table. "Grow up, Sirius! Life isn't all about being popular and handsome and picking on people because they're not in your little group of friends or because you don't like their clothes!"

Sirius stared at her, a little embarrassed as everyone in the room stared at him. Eleanor seemed to think this was enough and turned on her heel, leaving the Hall. Sirius looked over at Ally and Lily.

"But seriously… Snivellus?"

Both girls nodded with sickened expressions.

"Hey, Snivelly!" Sirius said with a mock kindness, clamping a hand down on Severus's shoulder.

Severus looked up from his lunch before him quickly, his eyes widening. James came up to his other side and took hold of his arm. The two boys pulled him up from his seat and tugged him toward the door. Once they were out on the grounds, Sirius threw him down into the fresh snow, brushing a hand back through his hair. Confused, Severus rolled over onto his back to look up at them. James and Sirius circled him. By now, several students had gathered at the doorway to watch. James pointed down at him menacingly.

"You've got no business with Eleanor, Snivellus."

"And I'm appalled-" Sirius continued. "That you would even dream of asking her to the dance."

Severus glared up at them, pushing himself to his feet. Before he could get up, James pointed his wand at him and muttered something. Red sparks shot out and Snape was knocked backward at least three feet. Frustrated, he reached into his robes for his wand. He rolled onto his back quickly and pointed it at James. Instantly, blue sparks shot from the tip and connected with James's face, cutting him. He cried out, putting his free hand over the cut, his other hand raising his wand high. But before he had the chance to say anything, his wand was sent flying out of his hand. An enraged Eleanor shoved past them, offering a hand to help Severus to his feet. Severus ignored it, standing up and raising his wand at Sirius.

"Don't you dare!" Eleanor reached over and grabbed it from him. She then turned it on Sirius, glaring at him.

She took a few steps toward him, her breathing heavy and her eyes livid. Sirius glared right back at her.

"Go away, Nell… we're just protecting-"

"Protecting me?" She yelled, throwing Severus's wand to the side. "I don't need you to protect me, Sirius! You're not my brother! You're not my boyfriend! I'm not even sure you're really my friend!"

Sirius's face fell, but that didn't make him give up on justification. "You know what he's like, Nell. Snivellus is a foul, disgusting…loathsome little git! Whatever he wants with you, it isn't good!"

Eleanor lowered her voice. "You are pathetic." She shook her head, looking him over in disgust. "Leave him alone… if I ever see you bothering him again, I'll-"

"You'll what?" Sirius smirked. Sirius knew he was better at magic and quicker in a duel.

Eleanor's blood boiled. She looked at him long and hard for a second. And before she knew what she was doing, she'd slapped him so hard she left a red welt. He stared at her with pursed lips. Her eyes widened slightly, surprised that she had done it. The crowd behind them had erupted in stifled laughter.

"You're a damned fool, Sirius Black." She turned and looked at James, who stared at her in disbelief. "So are you."

She looked over her shoulder, seeing that Severus had already collected his wand and made an exit. Giving one last poisonous glare at Sirius and James, she headed back inside. She found Severus down by the dungeons, sitting on a stair. She stood at the top, looking down at him.

"Are you alright?"

He stood up and wheeled around, his face still red with embarrassment. "I'm fine! I didn't need your help!"

"I know…but I needed to teach them a lesson. I'm sorry." She looked down.

He just stared at her for a long moment, clenching his fists at his sides.

"I'll see you tomorrow, Severus."

Eleanor turned on her heel, feeling the sudden urge to cry. She couldn't believe she'd just turned on her friends… for Severus Snape. Sirius would never forgive her for that. On her way back up to the Gryffindor common room, she passed Lily, James, Sirius, and Ally in the hall. All of them just watched her quietly. She could almost feel the hatred coming from them. She went into her dorm and grabbed a few things, setting back out again.


	9. A Mistake

Lily turned around to Ally, smoothing out her form-fitting emerald green dress. Her violently red hair was pulled up in the back with a clip, long strands flowing over the top like a fountain.

"So, does this look alright?" She asked with a nervous smile.

Ally looked over at her, her smile widening. "Alright? James is going to faint. It's perfect!"

Lily laughed, walking over to help Ally with her hair. Ally wore a flowing blush pink dress with her blonde hair tied back, strands falling to frame her face. Once they felt like everything was perfect, the two girls made their way downstairs. The Gryffindor common room was bustling with students gushing and comparing dresses and dress robes. Some couples were already leaving through the portrait hole to meet outside of the Great Hall. James, his face fixed with the help of Madam Pomfrey, and Sirius stood with Peter by the fireplace wearing brand new dress robes in black and white. James grinned when he caught sight of Lily walking toward him.

"Wow…"

Sirius's eyes widened. "You girls look absolutely… stunning!"

"Agreed." James nodded.

"Well, thank you." Lily laughed, blushing slightly. She took James's hands, leaning up to kiss him gently.

"Let's go, you guys… before we're late." Ally linked Sirius's arm with a smile.

They turned to follow everyone out. When they reached the Entrance Hall, they joined the huge mass of students already gathered and waiting, talking animatedly.

"So, where is Eleanor?" Peter asked.

Sirius cringed, clenching his jaw.

"I don't know." Ally answered, rubbing Sirius's arm gently.

"She took her things earlier and went off to get ready somewhere else." Lily shrugged. "Is Remus coming?"

"He's not sure… he might come down and check it out later." James frowned.

"Hey, you guys…" Sirius pointed toward the doors to the Great Hall.

They slowly opened inward and the mass of students swarmed inside. The hall looked amazing, all decorated for winter. Everything was a white or light blue, tablecloths, walls, floor. The ceiling was lit up with tiny white lights everywhere. Small round, candlelit tables were spread out at the back of the room, taking the place of the long House tables. The five friends sat down, taking the room in with awe. Lily pointed to a table near the wall where Eleanor sat with Severus Snape, Lucius Malfoy, and a brunette Slytherin named Katherine. Sirius ignored it, trying to pretend he didn't care.

Dumbledore came onto the platform at the front of the room and held out his arms. He was smiling brightly, dressed in long periwinkle blue robes.

"I must say…" He began. "that you all look fantastic. I won't take too much of your time.. All that I want to say is: have fun, enjoy the music, and dance!"

He turned and walked away and the room cheered as five students from Ravenclaw took the stage, picking up instruments. They took a second to tune before starting in on an upbeat song. Couples began flooding the dance floor. Lily stood up, tugging on James's hand.

"Oh, come dance with me!"

"Already? It's the first song!" He stood up anyway, waving goodbye to Sirius, Peter, and Ally.

As they left for the dance floor, the chair was pulled out beside Sirius and Remus sat down. Sirius smiled, clapping him on the shoulder.

"Hey, glad you came."

Remus offered a smile. "Yeah. The Hall looks amazing."

"Doesn't it?" Ally laughed, and then took a sip of her drink. She placed it down quickly, looking disgusted. "Ugh. I hate butterbeer."

Sirius pointed a finger upward like he had a brilliant idea. He reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out a small silver flask. He unscrewed the cap and reached over, pouring some into their drinks. They all laughed, taking a swig.

"Oh, Padfoot… this is foul." Remus choked.

Sirius sipped directly from the flask before putting it back in his jacket. "I don't think so."

"I don't think so either." Ally burped and quickly covered her mouth. Her glass was already half emptied. "What is it?"

"Firewhiskey." Sirius grinned.

"Firewhiskey?!" Peter's eyes widened. "How did you get that in here?"

"Why should I let you know all of my clever ideas, friend?" Sirius asked with a laugh.

Ally finished off her glass, standing up. "Alright, Sirius… let's dance!"

He held her back as she tried to drag him off to the floor just so he could down his drink. Then he laughed and took off behind her. Remus smiled and shook his head, just watching them.

Eleanor sighed heavily, crossing her arms. Why did she agree to this? Why had she even bothered getting ready? And why did she even come to this stupid thing after getting ready? There she was… sitting at a table in her beautiful ruby red dress and gloves, hair done up perfectly and make up dazzling… and she was only sitting! Severus sat next to her, in robes of his usual black, staring out at the crowd. At least his hair looked freshly clean and neat.

"Are you sure you don't want to dance, Severus?" Eleanor asked, hoping maybe he'd changed his mind in the past twenty minutes.

"No, thank you. I'm fine." He didn't look at her.

Eleanor rolled her eyes as Lucius and Katherine chuckled.

"Come on, Severus…" Lucius said with a laugh. "Get up and show the lady a good time."

Severus turned and glared at him.

"Seriously," Eleanor slammed her hands onto the table and stood up. "Severus, I thought that if you were going to ask me out you'd at least acknowledge me while I'm here."

She got up and stormed out. Once she made it out into the Entrance Hall, Severus had caught up with her.

"Eleanor, wait!" He grabbed her hand, stopping her from walking away. "I'm sorry, I just…"

She just looked at him. His face didn't even change from its evil sneer as he was apologizing.

"You just what?" She snapped. "You're just no fun? You just don't like people? You just can't dance?"

"No, I can't!" He hollered.

She stood up a little straighter, looking away. That was just a ridiculous reason.

"I can't dance. I hate dances…and I hate being in crowds of people!" He sighed, quieting down. "It makes me nervous."

She smiled. Finally, his face had relaxed. Not that it was attractive even yet, but it was a start. She linked his arm and started toward the door.

"Walk with me."

As they got outside, they followed a stone path through a garden that the Herbology professor has created for this special event. He stiffened up as if he didn't like the contact, but slowly loosened as he followed her down the path. They came to a fountain and Eleanor sat down on a stone bench. Random couples were seated on three others a few feet away. He sat down beside her, folding his arms. She frowned, wondering why he hadn't offered his jacket yet. It was apparent that he didn't date much. They sat in silence for a few minutes before Severus spoke, looking down at his hands.

"Eleanor…"

"Yeah?" She raised a brow, looking over at him. He suddenly looked very nervous.

"Thank you. You didn't have to come with me."

"Don't worry about it, Severus."

"I've liked you for a very long time and I couldn't understand how you could be with that horrible boy."

Eleanor frowned. "Please don't talk about him like that, Severus."

Severus stayed quiet for a moment, then he turned and looked over at her. She just raised a brow, slightly confused. Before she even knew what was happened, he'd moved forward and cupped her face in his hands, their lips meeting. Shocked, she didn't even think to do anything until he'd moved even closer, wrapping an arm around her waist.

"Severus…" She put her hands on his chest, pushing him backward. "What are you doing?"

"Kissing you." He said, his eyes closed as he forced himself on her again.

"Well, stop! Severus… knock it off!"

Frustrated, she brought her leg back and kicked him in the shin. He jumped backward, crying out. As a reflex, he brought his hand up to hit her.

"SEVERUS!"

He stopped immediately, spinning around on the bench. Heading toward him, wand pointed in his face, was a very furious looking Remus. Eleanor stood quickly, walking over and standing beside him. She glared at Severus, at a loss for words.

"But… Eleanor." Severus stammered.

"Goodnight, Severus." Eleanor said before turning and pulling Remus back toward the castle. Once they were out of earshot, she stopped and turned to him.

"How… where-?"

Remus seemed to already know what she was going to ask. He looked down, shaking his head. "I came down to the ball late… I saw you walk out… and then I saw him following you. I just thought I'd…"

"Check up on me?" She crossed her arms against the cold. "I don't think it's any of your concern."

"It will always be my concern!"

He sighed, taking off his jacket and wrapping it around her shoulders. She hesitated before accepting it, pulling it tight around her. She realized, suddenly, how much she missed him.

"Honestly, Nell… it's Severus Snape. What did you expect?"

"I didn't know what to expect, Remus. Sometimes you think you know a person and they surprise you." She bit her lip, knowing how that must have sounded. She'd meant it that way but hadn't wanted to hurt him. "I'm sorry."

"No, it's okay." He kicked at the ground with the toe of his shoe, looking down. "Look, Nell…"

"I've missed you." She blurted out. She didn't even know where it had come from.

He got quiet immediately, looking over at her. She looked down, biting her lip and hoping that he still cared. He stayed quiet for a long moment and her heart raced.

"Missed me already?"

She looked up at him and, seeing his smile, she smiled herself. "Terribly."

He smiled, wrapping his arms around her as she walked up to him. "I'm sorry I didn't tell you everything, Nell. I was just too afraid to lose you. You're everything to me. These past few weeks have been killing me. If I could-"

She looked up, grabbing his face in her hands and pulling him into a kiss. It felt like forever before she finally pulled away from him. He didn't open his eyes at all and seemed to be savoring the feeling. She watched him with a quiet laugh as he bit his lip and turned slightly red.

"So… I'm forgiven then?" He looked down at her.

"As long as you can find it in you to forgive me."

He hugged her tightly with a laugh. "Consider it done."

She hugged him back, not wanting to let him go. It was nice to be in his arms again.

"Hey, Remus…" She said quietly, pulling away.

"Hmm?" He asked, raising a brow.

"Do you think that… you could get Sirius to come out here for a moment?"

Remus nodded knowingly. "Yeah… he told me about yesterday."

Eleanor looked down with a frown. "I know. I was… being an idiot."

Remus shook his head and held up a finger for her to wait and then he disappeared inside. A few moments later, Sirius came quickly out of the door, stumbling at the bottom step. He turned and glared back up at it. Though Eleanor couldn't see anyone, she knew he didn't come quietly. She looked down, trying to think of the right thing to say. Sirius straightened, running his hands through his hair before shoving them into his pockets.

"I'm sorry, Sirius."

"Are you?" He raised a brow, sounding unimpressed.

She looked up at him and after meeting eyes, his expression had softened.

"I was just trying to help, Nell." He said quietly.

"I know. And I should have listened… turns out you were right, anyway. He's nothing but a creep."

Sirius eyed her curiously. "What'd he do? Nothing I'd have to kill him for, right?"

"I'm pretty sure Remus already took care of it." Eleanor smirked.

Sirius smiled, nodding. "So… you're talking to him again?"

Eleanor nodded, biting her lip. "I was thinking about what happened yesterday… about how I turned my back on my friends who were only concerned about me. And then I realized how much I care about you guys. And how I was being hypocritical. Turning Remus away because of… well, it just wasn't fair. He's been nothing but good to me and if we want it to work, it will."

"And you want to?"

"I do." She laughed.

It took him a moment, but he smiled. She raised a brow, walking toward him.

"You alright?"

"Yeah, fine… congratulations."

She hugged him tightly, tapping his cheek with a laugh. "How's your face?"

"Stung for hours. You've got a great right, Nell."

They both laughed. He pulled away, taking her hand.

"Come on… it's freezing out here."

She followed him into the Great Hall, joining her friends on the dance floor.


	10. Last Night Of Freedom

Eleanor laid back in the grass, her head resting on Remus's lap. He smiled down at her, smoothing back her hair. It was late spring and they'd just finished their N.E.W.Ts. Most of them were happy to see them gone but James and Peter were still worried, mumbling answers under their breath. Sirius, who leaned against the giant elm next to Remus, looked over at Remus with a laugh.

"Hey, Moony… how about number 35?"

They all thought for a moment, trying to remember the question.

"Ah , yes." Remus chuckled. "Five characteristics of a werewolf."

"I don't know…" Eleanor smirked. "I think I did pretty good. Intelligent, adorable, cuddly, extremely handsome, and kind."

Remus laughed, counting on his fingers. "He's wearing my clothes… he's sitting in my seat… his name is Remus Lupin."

Sirius laughed, elbowing him playfully.

"I got that one easy, sure." James waved them off. "But how about those Potions? That was ridiculous."

"Oh, James! Get over it! You're the best out of all of us at Potions." Lily slapped his knee gently. "Stop worrying yourself. They're over."

"I know! But I need top marks if I want to get into the Ministry as an Auror." James ruffled his hair. "Transfiguration-"

"Was a breeze." Eleanor laughed. "McGonagall almost gave up trying to stump me."

"Yeah, well… unlike you, we weren't all born with the great knowledge of Transfiguration. It's not as easy as you're able to make it look."

"It's all in your head." She shrugged. "You were letting yourself get distracted with all of this other stuff and you didn't concentrate."

"I turned a cat into half of a human baby. It was the weirdest thing, watching it crawl around."

They all laughed, then slowly it all died down. They listened to the birds, to the breeze, to the Giant Squid slapping its tentacles lazily against the surface of the lake. Other students talked excitedly around them and the new topic of conversation, now that N.E.W.Ts were over- graduation.

"You know…" Lily broke the silence. "It's all over after this."

Ally looked around at them. "I don't know how I'm going to handle a year without you guys."

Eleanor smiled sweetly. "We'll write to you… let you know how life is out there in the big wide world."

Ally smiled sadly, touching her shoulder. Lily smiled.

"I don't know… it's exciting and terrifying at the same time. I'm getting married in two months. James's father has a house set up for us in Godric's Hollow. Everything's coming into place, I'm just… I'm going to miss it here."

Eleanor's smile faded slightly. She wished everything was as clear for her as it was for Lily. Hogwarts had become her life, pretty much. She didn't want to go back to her parent's house in London and she had no idea what she wanted to do as a career. She and Remus had no money and no idea of where to live.

"Yeah… I'm going to miss it, too." Eleanor said aloud, staring off into space. Remus smoothed back her hair again.

Everyone else stayed quiet in agreement. Peter scratched behind his ear, looking down.

"But what about number forty-seven?"

James sighed. "Way to ruin the moment, Wormtail."

"Hey, I say we go out tonight. To celebrate this… our friendship, school… moving on." Sirius shrugged.

"We can't leave the grounds." James looked over at him.

Sirius smirked. "Did I say anything about leaving? I just said we should go out."

"Oh, no." Eleanor sat up, looking over at him. "What do you have planned?"

"Well, you'll just have to find out later tonight, won't you?" Sirius stood up, dusting off his pants. "I've got some things to take care of, if you'll all excuse me."

They all watched as he walked away. Lily laughed.

"Well, this should be exciting."

Eleanor stifled a giggle as she followed Lily and Ally down the stairs to the deserted common room. The boys met them at the bottom of the stairs, James shushing them and ushering them under a cloak. Surprisingly, there was enough room for them all to fit under it. Once the fit was tight, the cloak simply stretched.

"Blast, Lily. That was my foot!" Someone complained.

"What is the purpose of this?" Eleanor laughed, quieting her voice as someone shushed her. "Some sort of… magic cloak or something?"

"You could say that." James laughed, nudging her as they passed a mirror on the common room wall.

Eleanor gasped. "An invisibility cloak! Where did you get it?"

"Keep your voice down…and don't ask foolish questions you know I won't give you the answers to."

Slowly, they made their way out of the portrait hole and down the stairs without losing anyone. When they finally made it outside and past the greenhouses, James pulled the cloak off of them. Eleanor took a deep breath of cool, night air.

"Thank god. That was stifling."

Lily looked back at the castle with a smile. "It's so beautiful at night."

They all stopped for a moment and turned back to take a look at the school, its tower windows lit with the soft glow of the torches within. It made them sad, knowing they wouldn't be returning to Hogwarts after the summer. This was it.

"Well, let's not dwell on it and kill the mood." Sirius said with a sigh, turning to head toward the forest.

Everyone else turned to follow him, all except for Lily. She eyed the forest anxiously, shaking her head.

"We're not going in there, are we?"

James came back to take her hand. "Come on… you'll be fine, I promise."

"You know, there's a reason we're not allowed in there. And it's not that we'll get lost. There are dangerous things in there."

"Lily, please don't make me stun you." He said with a smirk. "I promise you… you'll be fine. Everything's taken care of."

"Taken-"

"No questions!" James took her hand and took off at a sprint toward the forest. "Come on, everyone! Keep up!"

They all laughed and followed behind him into the dark forest. Using their wands for light, James and Sirius navigated the way to a small clearing. A small bundle of sticks was laid in the center and logs, meant for seating, were circled around it. Sirius pointed at the sticks with his wand and after whispering a spell, it burst into flames. He jumped backward with a laugh, stomping out the small fire that caught on his robes.

"Jeez, Sirius! Almost killed yourself a week before graduation." Ally turned him about, inspecting his robes to make sure all was fine.

"I'm fine, Ally. All part of the plan." He laughed, waving her off.

They all took a seat around the fire, their laughter winding down. Eleanor took Remus's hand as she sat beside him, resting her head against his shoulder. Sirius dug into the pocket of his robe, pulling out a bottle.

"And I've brought presents." He laughed, yanking the cap off of the bottle. The strong smell of cinnamon and liquor filled the air.

"You didn't!" James laughed, leaving Lily to walk over to him. "Firewhiskey, Padfoot… you're a genius."

"Yes, thank you, Prongs. I'm aware." Sirius pulled the bottle out of James's reach and stood up. "I'd like to make a toast… to us. Marauders… Mischief makers… best friends… lovers-" He winked, eyeing them all up. "-and Hogwarts graduates. May we go on to be successful and happy. Now go around and everyone add in. Come on… wishes, dreams… hopes and aspirations. Don't be afraid to sound like a fool. We won't remember anything in the morning, anyway."

They all laughed and stood up. Ally bit her lip and smiled up at him.

"I'd like to have a great next year at Hogwarts… and do well on my N.E.W.T.S."

"Well said." He bent down to kiss her with a smirk.

"To… Lily and James… whose wedding is getting closer and closer." Eleanor grinned, winking to Lily. "And to Ally, good luck next year."

"To being grown up…finally." Remus laughed, shrugging. "To being happy and healthy."

"To our futures… whatever they may be." Peter nodded, ringing his hands.

"To Hogwarts, for teaching us all that we know and for bringing us all together." James smirked.

"Agreed." Lily laughed. "To all of us being friends until the end."

"I'll drink to that." Sirius tipped back the bottle taking a good swig of the amber colored liquid. He winced, his face flushing. "Wow… that's intense."

Ally took the bottle from him with a laugh, eyeing it cautiously before taking a small sip. "Oh, wow…" She struggled to swallow. "Burns.. Burns…"

Remus took the bottle from her, tipping it back and taking a mouthful before handing it to Eleanor. She brought it to her lips and closed her eyes tightly, tipping it up to get a mouthful. She choked and coughed, forcing it down and handing it off. Already she felt herself warm up from the inside. She felt happy and excited, all of her troubles melted away. She laughed and held Remus's hand, swinging their arms back and forth.

"Wow, that was good…"

Sirius raised a brow, looking her over with a look of amusement. "I didn't know you were that easy, Nell."

"Oh, it appears so, doesn't it?" She laughed, jumping in place. "This is so cool!"

Lily giggled, handing the bottle back to Sirius. "Let's play a game!"

"A game? What kind of game?" He asked taking another sip.

Eleanor walked over to him and took the bottle, taking another big sip. "Let's play truth or dare."

"What's that?" Sirius raised a brow.

She just looked at him, eyes wide. "Are you serious?"

He shrugged, looking around. "Since the day I was born…"

It took a moment to sink in. She laughed suddenly, slapping his shoulder.

"Shut up! You know what I meant."

He laughed, looking over at Remus. "I think you'll be carrying her home tonight, Moony."

"Truth or dare… it's a Muggle game." Eleanor finally calmed herself, sighing lightly. "Starts with one person… who picks another and asks them, 'truth or dare'? And they pick which they want… if they pick truth, the asker gets to ask them any question and they have to answer truthfully. If they choose dare, well… the asker has to dare them to do something. If they don't do it, they have to shed an article of clothing.

"Oh, really?" Sirius smirked.

"Yes, it can be quite entertaining."

"I like it…" Sirius nodded. "Who's up for it?"

After giving it some thought, everyone agreed. They sat down again, the bottle periodically being passed among them.

"Well, it was your idea, Nell. I say you start it off." Sirius said.

"Alright." She smiled mischievously, looking around at everyone. "Lily."

Lily's smile widened and she looked down, knowing she was going to be picked. "Hmm…truth."

"Ooh, nice choice." Eleanor laughed. "Hmm… If you could date any other boy at Hogwarts… besides James, obviously… who would it be?"

Lily thought for a moment, aware of the looks curious James was passing her. "I think I'd have to say Christopher McMahon… the Hufflepuff boy."

"Oh, please… what a tart. Worst Seeker I've ever seen." James huffed.

Lily laughed. "His Quidditch skills have nothing to do with it."

Eleanor smirked. "I hear that."

Remus elbowed her gently with a laugh. James looked at them both and shook his head.

"Ridiculous."

"As ridiculous as it is… it's your turn, Lily." Eleanor pointed out, sticking her tongue out at James.

"Oh, right. Uh… Sirius." Lily clapped her hands together, sitting up straighter.

"Dare, if you please." He brushed his hair from his eyes and puffed out his chest.

Lily laughed, shaking her head. "I dare you…to run about in naught but your briefs singing the Hogwarts song at the top of your lungs."

He laughed, shaking his head as if he didn't hear her correctly.

"Pardon?"

"You heard me! Get to it!"

He stood up, reaching up to begin unbuttoning his shirt. As he removed it, he handed it over to Ally who sat laughing uncontrollably. A moment later, and he was circling the group in his underwear, the Hogwarts song sung loudly in his best singing voice. When he was finished, he took a bow and grabbed his clothes and pulled them back on. While buttoning his pants, he looked over at James with a laugh.

"James… truth or dare."

"Dare, of course."

Sirius screwed up his face in thought. "Hmm… I dare you to go all day tomorrow in a pair of heels."

"What?" He laughed. "Tomorrow?"

"Yes, you heard me. And if you don't do it, we'll spend the day hexing you with the most embarrassing spells we can think of."

"Alright then." James looked at Sirius as though he'd lost his mind. "Eleanor… truth or dare."

"Truth." She laughed, still imagining the hexes she would use.

"Brilliant. Who would _you_ date if you weren't dating Moony?" He asked with a smile as Lily slapped his arm gently.

"Hmm…" She laughed, glancing over at Remus and thinking. Her eyes traveled over to Sirius for a quick moment.

He seemed to catch her eyes and his smile widened. He looked down quickly, reaching for the bottle of Firewhiskey. Eleanor couldn't decipher it. There was no doubt in her mind that if she hadn't been dating Remus she would be with him. And sometimes she could sense what he felt for her, too. But to say it out loud would just make things difficult for the group. She slowly reached down and began untying her shoe. Pulling it off, she placed it down in front of her and smirked.

"Ally, truth or dare."

"Oh!" James laughed, covering his mouth. "And why aren't you answering that one? Too embarrassed?"

"There isn't anyone else I'd rather be dating than Remus. There's just no answer." Eleanor shrugged, looking over at him.

Remus laughed, reddening slightly. He took her in his arms, kissing her cheek.

"Aw! That was adorable." Lily applauded.

Eleanor laughed, looking over at Ally. "Well?"

"Ah, dare."

"Finally! An adventurous girl!" Sirius raised the bottle to her before taking a swig from it.

"Hmmm." Eleanor thought. "How about… I dare you to allow James to perform any…painless hex he wishes on you."

Ally's eyes widened slightly and she eyed Eleanor as if she'd just betrayed her. Eleanor laughed, sitting straighter.

"I'm sorry! It's all I could think of!"

James smirked, his eyes examining Ally as his mind raced for the perfect hex. "I rather like this dare, Nell. Nice one. So, what do you say, Ally?"

"I say…" She turned to glare at him. "If you do anything that lands me a night with Pomfrey, I'll kill you."

"Alright, now. Don't get your knickers in a twist. I wouldn't dream of doing anything quite so harsh!"

"Go on, then. Get it over with." Ally looked down, folding her hands.

She opened her eyes a moment later as it got quiet, looking over at James. He was laughing hard and rolling on the ground. Everyone else was red with laughter, but she couldn't hear them. Confused, she reached up to touch her ear and was shocked when she felt a soft, cotton-like substance coming out of them. She pulled at it, but it wouldn't come out. She chuckled to herself.

"Come on, James! Fix it!" She hollered. At least she hoped it was hollered, she wasn't even sure the words had left her lips.

James took a deep breath, trying to control himself. He raised his wand, his lips moving. A second later, after a slight tickle in her ears, the sound came rushing back. She could hear Sirius laughing the hardest and looked down at him where he was lying on the ground beside her.

"What?"

"Could you hear anything I said?" He asked, wiping the tears from the corners of his eyes.

"No! I couldn't hear anything!" She blushed slightly. "Alright… enough of that game."

"Aw, I'm sorry, Ally!" Eleanor put a hand over her mouth. "That was a horrible idea!"

"That's a good idea… let's move on." Lily chuckled.

They all took a moment to quiet themselves and for a few moments, there was no sound but the crackling fire, the breeze through the tops of the trees, and a faint rustling in the leaves.

"So, Lily… are you getting excited about the wedding?" Eleanor smirked.

Lily grinned. "You have no idea."

James laughed, rolling his eyes. "You girls haven't stopped talking about this for weeks."

"Oh, shut up! We're girls… we're supposed to get all excited and chatty about this sort of thing." Eleanor waved a hand at him.

"Well, you have two months to chat about it… don't ruin the moment." Sirius laughed. "Let's all close our eyes and just listen… listen and think."

Eleanor gave him a look before closing her eyes and taking in a deep breath, letting the sounds of the fire and the rustling leaves clear her mind. Pretty soon she would be out in the crazy world of 'adulthood'. It was nice to just enjoy the peace for a moment.


	11. All On Our Own

Closing the lid to her trunk, Eleanor stood with a heavy sigh. Lily stood beside her, an arm draped around her shoulders. They both looked around with sad smiles. This would be the last time they'd ever see this room.

"I can't believe it, Nell…" Lily shook her head. "Seven years went so fast."

"I know… it's going to be weird. This was like home."

Lily turned her back on it, walking toward the door. "Well, come on… let's get this over with quickly."

Eleanor reluctantly turned to follow her, taking the stairs down to the common room. There were so many students in there that you could hardly move. On their way through, the girls stopped to say goodbye to a few students, hugging and exchanging addresses. When they finally got out through the portrait hole, they met the boys on the other side.

"It's crazy in there, isn't it?" James said flatly.

"Yes… such a sad day." Peter mumbled, wringing his hands.

James shot him a curious sideward glance and Sirius spoke, ignoring him.

"Honestly, I'm kind of happy we're out of here."

"Happy?" Eleanor laughed quietly. "Once you're out there… you're no longer the hot shot running the place. You're just a baby in the big wide world."

Sirius smiled with a sigh. "I know! No more people looking up to me… like I'm their hero or something. Too much stress."

James laughed, clapping him on the back. "I just can't wait to be in my house… married to Lily… and leading the quintessential adult life. Reading the Daily Prophet over coffee… arguing over dishes. Lily telling me to get rid of the garbage."

Lily smiled, wrapping an arm around his waist. "Another month."

Eleanor squealed. "And I'm so excited!"

"You're definitely coming over to help us get moved in, Nell."

"Brilliant! I can't wait!"

"How about you guys?" Sirius raised a brow, looking over at Eleanor and Remus.

Remus shrugged. "Not sure." He looked over at Eleanor who shrugged also, laughing quietly.

"We'll figure something out."

Sirius smirked, throwing his hands up as Ally came out through the portrait hole. "There you are!"

Ally smirked, wiping at her eyes. "Sorry…"

Sirius hugged her tightly. "Alright, let's get downstairs."

They all made their way downstairs to the Entrance Hall where the Professors were gathered by the door. Carriages awaited them outside to take them back to the Hogwarts Express. Dumbledore greeted them in the entryway with a sad smile.

"Ah, yes… Hogwarts will not be the same without its biggest troublemakers."

Sirius laughed. "I'm sure someone will come along with the wits to match us… and you'll regret that statement."

"Perhaps." He laughed quietly. "Good luck, all of you. I'm sure we'll be speaking again soon."

There was something like a twinkle in his eye as he looked them all over. They all smiled, waving goodbye to him and the professors standing beside him. The sun outside greeted them warmly and Eleanor sighed. A small knot tied in her stomach and she realized she was nervous. Was she ready for this yet? Ally stopped by the carriage, standing to the side. Sirius hugged her tightly, pulling away a second later to kiss her.

"I'll write you everyday, promise." He laughed quietly, taking a step back so she could say goodbye to everyone else.

Lily wrapped her arms around Ally as tight as she could with a laugh. "Oh, you! We've just gotten to know you so well and now we've got to leave!"

"I know… but it's just one more year. And summer starts in a month. I'll see you all then, right?"

"Of course!" Eleanor laughed, hugging her. "Can't wait."

"But you could always write anyway." Ally smirked.

"We will." Lily nodded.

"Goodbye, Ally." Remus said, hugging her.

James hugged her with a smile. "Don't go soft on us… make this a year to remember, mate."

They all laughed, climbing into the carriage. They waved goodbye one last time before it took off. Eleanor held tight to Remus's hand, her fee hand coming up to wipe her eyes.

"Aw, Nell…" Lily sighed.

"No, they're happy tears! I promise!"

They all laughed and Remus pulled her close to kiss her forehead.

Eleanor set the last box down on the small kitchen table with a sigh, a smile forming at the corners of her lips. She looked around the apartment slowly, taking it all in. She couldn't believe she was finally here. It was almost six months since they'd graduated Hogwarts and she started her desk job at the Ministry. She'd been working so hard to earn the money toward a place for her and Remus. And Remus had recently been able to find a job for himself, thanks to Dumbledore. The new place was small, but it was worth everything they'd been through.

She turned around as Remus walked through the door, a lamp in one hand and a vase in the other, kicking it closed behind him. He placed them down on the coffee table with a laugh, wiping his hands on the front of his pants.

"That's it, then." He shrugged, stuffing his hands in his pockets and looking around at everything. "And suddenly, I don't feel like putting it all away."

Eleanor laughed, walking over to him and wrapping her arms around his neck. "Eh, we can save that for tomorrow."

He smirked, kissing her gently and resting his hands on her hips. "Sounds like a good idea."

"How exciting is this?" She said, looking around.

"Pretty exciting." He agreed.

"Our own house… our own couch… our own kitchen… our own bed!" She squealed, resting her head against his chest.

He laughed, rubbing a hand over her back. "I know."

She let go of him with a laugh, plopping down on the couch. He sat down next to her with a sigh, sinking down into the cushions and closing his eyes. "So, is this what adults do?"

"I highly doubt that." She sighed, stretching out across the couch, laying her head in his lap. "This is where we talk about our day at work and how stressful it was and our plans to retire into the countryside."

Remus laughed, smoothing back her hair gently and leaning his head back. "Neither of us had work today, Nell."

"Well…" She smirked, turning on her side slightly. "Then we just lie here and enjoy each other's company in silence."

She lifted his shirt slightly, kissing the bared skin of his stomach. He closed his eyes, laughing quietly. She ran a hand under his shirt and around to his back to pull him toward her mouth, her teeth gently grazing his skin. Remus drew in a deep breath, clenching his jaw. His heart raced slightly, he couldn't believe he was doing this now. With no one to catch them, no one to care. Just them. After a moment, she pushed herself up onto her knees and met his eyes with a smile. Her hands took hold of the bottom of his shirt, pulling it up over his head. He laughed as she threw it over her shoulder and he took hold of her hips, pulling her against him.

"Don't you like being an adult? All on our own?" She smirked, taking his face in her hands and leaning down to kiss his forehead.

"I'm liking it now." He smirked.

She laughed and studied his face for a moment, her eyes tracing the familiar scars he'd received the night he attacked her. She rested her lips gently against his forehead, letting her tongue trace it lightly downward across his eye, the bridge of his nose, across his cheek. He closed his eyes, his heart pounding in his ears. The scars were the one thing that made him feel most like a monster. A sad reminder for himself whenever he let himself begin to believe he was happy. Her kiss, her lips against them made his heart soar. Ever since that night, she'd always looked at him differently because of them. This show of acceptance was more than he could handle.

"Nell…"

She smirked, shushing him and putting a finger against his lips. He smiled, bringing his hands up to her face and leaning forward to kiss her hard on the mouth.


	12. The Wedding

Eleanor stood up quickly as James and Lily entered the room, applauding. The wedding ceremony had just ended and both were glowing with joy. They waved to everyone before taking a seat at a table in the front of the room next to their parents. Once the applause from the party guests died down, Sirius stood up and raised his glass of champagne.

"I just want to say that I couldn't be more proud of my best friend. He's found a wonderful woman who will be an incredible wife. Let's just hope that, by some miracle, he can learn how to be an incredible husband." Sirius smirked, meeting James' eyes. "May you two live many happy years together."

Sirius sat down again, Ally taking his hand with an excited giggle. Eleanor took a deep breath and got to her feet, holding up her glass. She'd been practicing this speech for a month and thought that she had it. With all of those eyes on her, she felt her heart pound intensely in her chest. After a quiet moment, she smiled.

"Lily, we've been planning this one since our first year together at school. The dream wedding with that dream guy. And now, eight years later… here you are. I'm just glad that your dreams have come true. I'm proud of you… and I love you."

She raised her glass before sitting again, putting a hand on Remus's leg to steady herself. He chuckled quietly beside her, placing a hand on the small of her back and leaning in to whisper to her.

"You did wonderfully."

She smiled over to him before diverting her attention to Lily's father. Lily's father was a tall, handsome man with dark, gray speckled hair and brilliant green eyes. Beside him sat his wife, a petite woman with hair as red as fire. She smiled up at him endearingly as he spoke.

"I've dreaded this day coming for years." He laughed. "When I received the letter telling me that Lily had found the boy she wanted to marry, I almost had a heart attack there and then. But, I'm proud of her. She couldn't have chosen a more charming, brilliant, and gifted young man. James, Lily… good luck to you both."

Sirius leaned over to Eleanor and Remus. "I don't think Lily really told him everything."

Eleanor covered her mouth to keep from giggling and motioned with her glass for Sirius to face forward again. He did so with a smile, looking at her from the corner of his eye.

When Lily's father was finished, he raised his glass high. "To James and Lily Potter!"

Everyone in the crowd raised their glasses with a cheer before downing their drinks. Immediately, the band began playing a quick song to bring everyone to the dance floor. Eleanor stood up, holding a hand out to Remus.

"Pardon me, sir. Would you care to dance?"

He laughed, taking her hand and getting to his feet. "I'd be delighted."

She dragged him out onto the dance floor, pulling him close and wrapping her arms around his neck.

"Wasn't that fantastic? She looked so beautiful!" Eleanor sighed with a smile.

"She did." He nodded, kissing her gently. "You'll look even better!"

"Hah!" She rolled her eyes, kissing his cheek. "You're too sweet!"

A moment later, Lily came up to them, tapping Eleanor on the shoulder and beckoning her over to greet her parents. Eleanor followed after, grabbing Remus's hand and tugging him along. Lily pulled them out of the crowd to the front of the room where the head table was. Lily's mother turned to them, her smile widening.

"Ah, Eleanor! Look at you… so beautiful and grown up!"

Eleanor laughed, hugging Lily's mother tightly. "Thank you, Mrs. Evans. You're dress is fantastic. You look amazing."

"Oh, thank you, dear." She waved a hand then turned to her husband. "Richard!"

Lily's father turned away from James and his father, his smile widening. He walked over quickly, hugging Eleanor.

"Ah, Eleanor! It's been so long. We miss having you spend summers with us."

"Oh, I miss it, too. Believe me! Mr. and Mrs. Evans, I'd like you to meet Remus Lupin, my boyfriend. Remus… Lily's parents. Mr. and Mrs. Evans."

Remus stepped forward, holding out his hand. Lily's parents eyed him curiously for a moment, their gaze lingering a little too obviously on the scars on his face. They both took his hand with smiles, shaking it gently.

"How do you do?" Remus said, forcing a smile. He wanted to die. Just run away and die.

"Fine, thank you. Pleasure to meet you, Remus." Lily's mother said.

"You too, Mrs. Evans." He nodded.

Mr. Evans smiled and nodded. "If you'd excuse us, Eleanor… Remus. We've got some caterers to deal with."

"Of course." Eleanor smiled politely, turning to Remus as they walked away. "Okay, that was awkward."

"You're telling me." Remus eyed the crowd, wondering how many other people were staring at him.

"Oh, Remus… they'll love you." Lily sighed. "They already like you. You know… for all they know, they think you're a lion tamer."

Lily shrugged with a laugh. Remus couldn't help but smile.

"Ah, yes. Thank you, Lily. I think I've got my new cover."

Eleanor laughed, shaking her head. "My Remus, the brave lion tamer!" She made a claw and pretended to swipe at him. He just smiled. "Aw, come on, sweetie. Cheer up or I'll be forced to get you completely drunk."

"Yeah." Remus rolled his eyes with a laugh. "They'd love me even more then."

Lily cracked up, looking over as Sirius and Ally came to join them. "Hey, Ally! Nice dress!"

"Oh, please." Ally laughed, hugging Lily. "You outshine everyone!"

"Oh, she knows it. Just too modest." Eleanor smirked.

Lily laughed, giving Sirius a quick hug. "You guys should go and dance! Have a good time! I'll be out there in a little bit."

Lily waved to them and then walked back over to James and his parents. Eleanor watched her for a moment before turning to Ally, Sirius, and Remus.

"Shall we dance?" She raised a brow.

"I'm actually going to get a drink." Remus touched her arm with a smile. "Want anything?"

"No, thanks." She looked up at Sirius. "How about you, Mr. Black? Wanna show these kids how it's done?"

"This place could use some livening, Miss Black."

She laughed, taking his hand and turning to Ally. "Promise I'll bring him back in one piece."

Ally laughed, waving them off. Sirius smirked, pulling Eleanor off into the crowd. The music picked up a faster pace, trumpets blaring around them. He stopped in the middle of the crowd, pulling on her arm to send her in a spin in front of him. She stomped her foot down, stopping to face him. A few people around them stopped and turned to watch. She walked back to him, taking his hands and pulling close to him.

"You sure you remember how to do this one?" He raised a brow.

"Pfft. Try and keep up."

He pushed her backward, stopping her at arm's length and spinning her back into his arms where they started in on a swing dance they practiced sometime during fourth year. When the song ended, she stepped away from him with a laugh as the few people, who had stood and watched them, applauded. Remus smirked, taking a long sip from his champagne glass.

"See, I always thought those two made an adorable couple."

Remus looked over quickly and frowned, seeing Lily and her mother watching Eleanor and Sirius on the dance floor.

"Oh, mother… that'll never happen."

"I don't see why not." Her mother shrugged. "It's a perfect match. They'd have beautiful children."

Remus put his glass down and turned away from them, trying to make it seem like he hadn't heard anything. He bit his lip, watching Eleanor and Sirius as they took a bow and started on their way toward him, hand in hand. He had to admit, they did make an attractive couple. He felt a knot in his stomach. Was he seriously becoming jealous of his best friend? He quickly pushed the foolish thought away, smiling as Eleanor came up to him with a heavy sigh. She rested her head on his chest with a laugh.

"I am… worn out!"

"Well, here…" Remus reached behind him with a laugh, taking a glass of champagne and handing it to her. "Maybe this will get you going again."

Eleanor looked up, taking it and kissing his cheek. "Aw, thank you. I think it might just do the trick." She tipped the glass back, finishing it off.

"Whoa now." Sirius laughed. "Don't want to drink it all too fast."

Ally came up behind Sirius, grabbing his hand. "Dance with me!"

"Alright, alright!" Sirius bid Remus and Eleanor goodbye before being dragged back onto the dance floor.

Eleanor turned to Remus with a smile, taking his hand. "What's wrong?"

Remus raised a brow, his eyes widening. "What do you mean?"

"You've got that look… I know that look. You're upset."

Remus shook his head with a smile. "Don't worry about it for now, Nell. I'm not here to start trouble."

"Start trouble?" She got serious. "If it's something worth starting trouble over, then it's something important."

"That I can tell you about later." He looked at her for a long moment before she finally gave up, nodding her head. "Thank you."

"So… dance with me?" She raised a brow, her smile returning.

"I would love to." He took the glass from her, placing it on the table and returning to the dance floor.

Eleanor collapsed on the couch, kicking off her shoes and stretching her toes. Remus continued on into the kitchen to get himself a drink. She watched him, wondering whether or not to pursue the earlier topic. It seemed to be on his mind the whole evening and she thought, on more than one occasion, he had shot Sirius a curious glance when he got close to Eleanor.

"So, what was bothering you earlier?" She called into the kitchen, biting her lip as she awaited a response.

He didn't answer quickly and she almost thought he was ignoring her. But a moment later and he appeared in the living room, looking down at the glass of water in his hand.

"I don't know. Just something stupid that I took too personally, I guess."

Eleanor sat up and motioned for him to sit beside her. She waited until he did and turned to look at him, pulling her feet up under her. He didn't meet her eyes, rather stared at the floor or his cup.

"Well, what was it?"

He sighed, shaking his head. "I just overheard… Lily and her mother talking."

Eleanor raised a brow. "Oh."

Remus looked at her curiously. "Oh?"

"Yeah, oh. While Lily's mother is an extremely sweet and caring woman… I know how she can be when you first meet her. She's a little… opinionated. You've just got to win her over, I guess." Eleanor shrugged. "What'd she say?"

"They were watching you dance… you and Sirius." He looked down again, feeling like an idiot. His voice lowered and he mumbled the rest. "Said you made a good looking couple."

Eleanor smirked, amused. How could Remus even listen to something like that? Her and Sirius Black?

His voice continued at a normal volume after he cleared his throat. "I don't know why it upset me, I just…"

"Remus."

He looked over at her, feeling himself redden slightly. The look on her face made him feel silly for getting upset at the whole thing. She looked as though she'd just been told a hilarious joke.

"I know." He sighed, offering her a smile.

She just watched him for a second. "What else did she say?"

"What?" He looked surprised.

"You've still got that look… you know, when you're thinking about something you don't like thinking about."

"I have a look for that?"

Eleanor laughed, nodding. "You've got a look for everything. Come on… this is entertaining. What else did she say?"

Remus frowned, glad that she was finding his embarrassment amusing. "I don't know… that she couldn't understand why you chose me… and that you and Sirius would have… beautiful children."

He noticed Eleanor's smile falter, but she quickly brought it back.

"Well… I did choose you, didn't I?" She stood up and headed into the bedroom.

He watched her walk away, curious now. Why had she ended the topic so quickly? He stood up and followed behind her, raising a brow.

"Well, yes. You did."

"Exactly." She said simply, reaching into the wardrobe for a nightgown. "So, what're you worried about?"

"Well, I… nothing. Ya know, just sometimes you-"

Eleanor turned to him so suddenly he lost his words. He cursed the words for even thinking of leaving his lips. He couldn't decipher the look in her eyes, but he knew it wasn't good. When he didn't speak, her eyes widened.

"Go ahead… finish that sentence. Sometimes I..?"

"No! Nell, I didn't-"

"Then you wouldn't have started to say it!" She sighed. "Maybe it's some sort of… subconscious fear or something. Well, let's face it. Out with it so I can tell you how ridiculous you're being."

He just stared at her, feeling a little hot under the collar. Subconscious fears? What the hell was she talking about? He wondered why she was so defensive on the subject. Maybe she was facing a few subconscious issues of her own. He shook his head, scratching the back of his neck. No, he had to stop thinking that way.

"No… just… I see that… well, sometimes you…" He stammered, closing his eyes. He could feel her eyes burning into him and he hated himself for starting any of this.

"I, what, Remus?" She asked coldly.

"You look at him differently!" He shouted finally, annoyed. When he looked at her, he saw she was hurt. He couldn't believe her. How could she have the nerve to be hurt right now? "Oh, don't make that face, Nell. I didn't want to say it!"

"But you did." She straightened up, crossing her arms.

"Oh, you're impossible." He sighed, walking past her to his side of the bed, working on his tie.

"What do you mean I look at him differently?"

He sat down on the bed, rubbing his forehead. It seemed as though she was looking for a reason to fight him. She really confused him sometimes.

"Just… differently than you did when we were in school. I don't know, Nell! I didn't want to bring it up…"

"Yes, you did or you wouldn't have said anything at all." She sat down with a huff. "For your information, there is nothing going on between Sirius and I."

She turned to look at him and he forced himself to look over his shoulder at her.

"I love you."

"I know you do." He snapped, looking down again.

"Then don't pay attention to anything Mrs. Evans said. Sirius and I do not make an attractive couple… I would never consider dating him. His scars aren't nearly as attractive as yours."

Remus smiled even though he tried not to.

"And who needs children? They drool, they smell… they're dirty and annoying."

His smile widened. He turned to look at her but was taken by surprise as she wrapped her arms and legs around him from behind.

"I love you. And you love me." She kissed his neck. "And I couldn't ask for anything more than that."

This woman was insane and she drove him crazy. But she sure knew how to work him. He turned his head, meeting her lips. She kissed him with a laugh.

"Sirius Black? Really?"

Remus laughed and rolled his eyes. Eleanor shrieked as he fell backward on top of her.


	13. Good News

Lily came into the living room where James, Sirius, and Remus sat on the couch, listening intently to the radio broadcasting the Quidditch cup match. James pumped a fist into the air as a score was announced.

"Yes!" He hollered. "Oh, thanks, Lily! Did you hear that?"

"Yeah." She laughed, mockingly punching a fist into the air.

She turned away to go back into the kitchen where Eleanor sat at the kitchen table, flipping through some sort of catalog. Eleanor looked up at her with a smile, raising a brow.

"Score?"

Lily rolled her eyes, sitting down across from her. "Yeah."

Eleanor stood up, walking over to the sink to refill her glass. "So, what is it you were trying to tell me earlier?"

"Oh, yeah!" Lily turned to her, her smile widening, and sat on the edge of her chair. "Well, I haven't told James yet, so don't say anything."

"I can do that." She nodded with a smile, glass poised by her lips.

Lily bit into her lip nervously, wringing her hands. "I'm pregnant."

Eleanor's heart skipped a beat and she felt her hand loosen on the glass. Too in shock to react, it fell to the floor, smashing at her feet. She brought her hands to her mouth and shrieked.

"You're joking!"

Lily stood up, laughing harder at her friend's reaction. "Jeez, Nell!"

"I'm sorry! I just…" She shrieked again, jumping up and down.

Just then, Remus, Sirius, and James came into the room to see what was going on.

"What happened?" James asked, frowning. He looked down at the glass smashed on the floor.

Eleanor hurriedly got out her wand and waved it over the spill, cleaning it up. "I'm sorry, James… I just…it was…a mouse! I saw a mouse."

Lily nodded enthusiastically, holding back a laugh. "Yeah, a mouse… go! Go, someone might have scored!"

The boys shot them weird looks before slowly retreating back to the couch. Lily ran over to Eleanor, slapping her arm gently. Eleanor threw her arms around Lily tightly, hopping up and down in place.

"This is incredible, Lily! Congratulations!"

"Thanks." Lily beamed as Eleanor held her out at arm's length, looking her over.

The girls just looked at each other for a second before screaming and hugging again. James appeared in the doorway, looking perplexed.

"Now, really! Have we got a mouse infestation or is there something going on in here?"

Lily laughed, turning to grab a glass of water off of the table. She held it out threateningly.

"Get out, James… I'm not joking!"

He smirked, stepping into the room fully now. "I don't believe you'd really-"

James stopped abruptly as Lily overturned the glass of water, spilling its contents over his head. He stood there for a moment, letting it drip down his front.

"That… was not nice, Lily."

Eleanor cracked up, backing away to avoid anything James might throw back a her. Lily took a step back herself, trying to control her laughter. Remus came up behind James, laughing once he saw what had happened. James stepped toward Lily and she shrieked, taking off through a doorway behind Eleanor.

"What was that?" Remus asked with a laugh, stepping over the huge puddle of water on the floor.

"I… honestly have no idea. She's lost it."

Sirius came running into the room, jumping over the puddle of water at the last second, not seeing it before.

"What the hell is.. Oh, never mind it! It doesn't matter! WE WON!" Sirius ran over to Eleanor, grabbing her around the waist and throwing her over his shoulder, proceeding to run around the house. James had captured Lily in the living room, doing the same.

"Remus, help!" Eleanor shrieked through her laughter, smacking Sirius on the back. "Sirius, put me down!"

"We've won!" He jumped up with a laugh as this angered her further.

Remus frowned, following them out to the living room. James and Sirius marched around the house together, laughing heartily as both girls fought against them.

"Oh, shush, girls! Can't you see.. We've won! This is something to celebrate!" James put Lily down and in return got shoved back onto the couch.

Sirius was about to do the same but Eleanor had taken out her wand and stealthily placed it down the back of Sirius's shirt. A second later and Sirius howled, arching his back and dropping her onto the couch.

"Whoa!" He laughed. "What the-"

"That'll teach you!" She laughed, walking back over to Remus with a winded sigh. "He's a fool, Remus. A damned fool."

Eleanor giggled uncontrollably, closing the apartment door behind her and leaning against it. Remus turned back to her with a smile. He took a few steps toward her, scratching his head.

"I haven't heard you this excited over something since… well, honestly, I don't know when. I'm sure it isn't over a silly Quidditch match."

Eleanor put her hands over her mouth, shaking her head quickly. Remus nodded, looking around in thought.

"Are you going to tell me?"

"I can't!" She put her hands against the door, sinking down to her butt and giggling again.

Remus laughed, throwing his hands in the air. "Alright, fine. I give up… are you hungry?"

He turned his back to her and slowly started to walk away. Quietly, he counted to himself.

"One…two…three-"

"Oh, fine! You know I can't keep something like this to myself!"

He smirked, turning back to her. She hopped to her feet and ran over to him, taking a deep breath and biting her lip. A long moment passed before she spit it out.

"Lily's pregnant."

Remus raised a brow, smiling slightly. "Really?"

"Really! Isn't that just… awesome?!" Eleanor hugged him tightly.

Remus hugged her back with a laugh. "It is. It's fantastic. She hasn't told James yet?"

"No, just me… she's going to tell him tonight!"

She pulled away and looked him in the eye. "I think I'm more excited about it then she is."

He laughed a bit uncomfortably. "Well, you always wanted children."

She squealed again, grinning. "I know!"

She went to walk toward the kitchen but he kept hold of her hand, pulling her back to face him. He was quiet for a moment, searching for words. Her smile faded slightly.

"Nell… you know…"

She just looked at him for a moment, hoping he wasn't going to say what she thought he was. "What?"

"That we can't…"

And he did. Her stomach turned and she felt sick with this mix of emotions. They hadn't touched this subject since they discussed it months before. She'd never really gotten over it.

"I know." She said simply. She pulled her hand from his and turned slowly, walking into the bathroom and closing the door.

She sat down on the edge of the tub, her head in her hands. Her happiness over Lily's news had suddenly turned to a sickening sense of jealousy. Her mind reeled and roamed over everything she'd been arguing over for months. Did she really love him enough to sacrifice everything she had for him? She worked as a secretary for some lowly Ministry employee who worked in Muggle affairs. She knew that they'd placed her there because of Remus. In light of the times, with the rise of Voldemort's power and his spies turning up everywhere, people were paranoid. Werewolves weren't trusted. Voldemort had been offering their kind things wizards had denied them for years. And with her relationship with Remus being well known, that meant she wasn't to be trusted either. Her job she could handle, sure. But the idea of never being able to have children with him. That was what killed her.

Remus knocked quietly on the door.

"I'm headed to bed, Nell. Are you coming?"

She sat up and took in a deep breath, letting it out quietly and trying to sound happy. "Yeah, I'll be right out."

He walked away and she stood up, going over to the sink to splash water on her face. Lily deserved this. She deserved to be happy. And while Eleanor couldn't have children of her own, she'd try to be active in Lily and James's baby's life. She turned and opened the door, walking into the bedroom. Remus was seated on the edge of the bed, leaned over with elbows resting on his knees. He looked up, offering a smile as she entered the room. Eleanor smiled back, walking over to the wardrobe to change into a nightgown.

"I hope it's a boy." She said over her shoulder.

She heard Remus laugh. "Do you?"

"Yeah." She turned to him, pulling the nightgown down over her and climbing into the bed. "Maybe I'll get to baby-sit or something."

Remus laid down next to her, wrapping his arms around her. "Maybe."

She just smiled, closing her eyes. The sick feeling in her stomach had lessened some as she laid beside him. She told herself that this was worth it.

"I love you, Remus."

He kissed the back of her neck gently, raising a hand up. The lights turned out.

"I love you, too, Nell."


	14. Bad News

Eleanor pushed open the front door, cursing aloud and glaring down at her keys that were jammed into the door handle. She pulled at them unsuccessfully for a moment before looking around her. There didn't seem to be any neighbors around. She took out her wand and whispered something. The keys shot from the keyhole and across the living room. She chased after them and bent down to pick them up. Standing up again, she finally noticed Remus sitting at the dining room table. She screamed, but quickly clapped a hand over her mouth.

"I'm sorry! I didn't…"

Remus smiled and Eleanor exploded into laughter.

"Wow, I didn't even see you there. I'm sorry. Explains a lot, though. I thought it was strange that we didn't have any mail."

Remus looked down at the mail lying in front of him on the table. He wished they hadn't gotten any.

"How was work?" He asked simply, not looking up.

She kissed the back of his head before taking a seat across from him, laying her purse on the floor next to her. "Eh, it was work. Mr. Wellington found out I was raised by Muggles today."

Her eyes widened and Remus smirked, just imagining what that could have meant.

"Yeah, exactly." She laughed. "He wouldn't stop asking me questions… all day. How about you? Why are you home so early?"

He looked down, a horrible feeling coming over him like he thought his chest might cave inward.

"Nell…"

Her smile faded and she looked down at the Daily Prophet opened up in front of him. Catching the word 'werewolf', she reached out and grabbed it, pulling it over in front of her. She only had to read a few lines before getting the idea.

"Oh, shit." She put her head in her hand. "They didn't!"

Remus nodded, sitting back in his chair. He couldn't look at her. He felt even more like a failure to her now. It seemed Lord Voldemort had complete control over most of the werewolf population now and the Ministry was taking action. It was now illegal to hire any werewolf in the country. Even if he was your best friend since childhood, a werewolf was a potential traitor and liar.

"But Dumbledore-"

"It doesn't matter." Remus sighed, pressing his fingers into his temples as a headache set in.

"It does matter! What are they… they're being ridiculous, Remus! This is bullshit! Just because one goes bad, doesn't mean they all do!"

She clenched the paper in her fist, throwing it from the table. Remus watched as it floated obnoxiously toward the ground, the wizards in the pictures smiling and waving at him. Eleanor collapsed against the table with a heavy sigh, hiding her face in her arm. They were quiet for a long time. There was nothing he could do now, finding a job would be impossible…illegal, actually. They would be taking a major pay cut and rent definitely wouldn't be made.

"What're we gonna do?" Eleanor moaned into her arm.

"I don't know." Was all he could say.

Just then, a letter came hurtling in through the open window above them, landing on the table between them. Remus hesitated before picking it up and breaking the seal.

"It's from Sirius…" He said, glancing at the bottom. He read through the few written lines and sighed, laying it in front of him.

Before he could say anything else, three more came in and scooted across the table, landing on the floor with the newspaper. They both stooped to gather them and open them up. Eleanor sat down on the floor, the newspaper crumpling under her. She opened one and read through it, a small smile coming to her lips.

"James and Lily."

"Dumbledore… and Peter." Remus sighed, laying the pieces of parchment between them.

"James offered us a room." Eleanor said quietly, looking down.

"So did Sirius."

They met eyes for a moment and both gave sad smiles.

"I'll pick up another job… an extra shift a few nights a week should cover it."

Remus frowned. "I'm so sorry."

"Don't be." She shook her head. "If anyone should be sorry, it's the Ministry. This law is so ridiculous, I can't even believe it was passed, Remus. It'll die down… and until it does, I guess this is what I have to do." She shrugged, smiling.

He leaned across the letters to kiss her cheek. He couldn't help but wonder how he got so lucky.


	15. The Beginning

Eleanor sat up quickly as someone pounded on her door. She looked around, her eyes catching the bright green numbers on the clock across the room. 1:34 AM. She must have dozed off while reading. She pulled her book up from her lap and placed it on the bedside table, climbing out from under her blanket. The pounding continued and her heart began to race. Her mind stumbled over every possible visitor. There weren't any for this time in the morning. She grabbed her wand and held it by her side, tugging her shirt down to cover her bare thighs. She didn't turn on the light. If it was someone there to harm her, she knew the apartment better than they did and could find her way around easier in the dark.

"Who is it?" She called, her voice breaking.

When she didn't receive an immediate reply, her heart dropped. Death Eaters? No, they would've broken in already. She raised her wand, swallowing the lump forming in her throat.

"Hello?"

"Eleanor." Someone replied quietly from the other side.

She pointed her wand to a lamp in the corner and it cast a soft light across the room.

"Eleanor, I need to talk to you."

Eleanor stepped forward, recognizing Sirius's voice immediately. She unlocked the door and pulled it inward, sticking her head out. Sirius stood against the wall, his eyes red and swollen. Her mouth opened, but she had no words. She'd never before seen Sirius like this. His eyes seemed lost, lifeless and he brought his hands up to wipe the tears welling in them. His wand was still clenched tightly in his fist.

"Sirius, come inside!"

Eleanor reached out and took hold of the sleeve of his jacket pulling him in the door. She closed it behind him, turning the lock.

"Sirius, what happened?"

Sirius walked away from her, collapsing onto the couch. He looked around for a moment, when something seemed to catch his attention. He was staring at her legs. She tugged nervously at her shirt again.

"Is Remus here?" He asked, raising his eyes to meet hers.

"No." She shook her head. "Full moon. It's just me, Sirius. What happened?"

She walked over and sat beside him. He closed his eyes and bowed his head, swallowing hard against he tears.

"Voldemort's Death Eaters attacked a few of the Order members that Dumbledore sent to guard this… thing at the Ministry." He whimpered and quickly brought a hand to his mouth.

Eleanor's heart fell. She knew it wasn't good. And it dawned on her suddenly when Sirius gave in and began to sob.

"Ally…Oh, Sirius."

She pulled him into a tight hug and he wrapped his arms around her, crying into her shoulder. Her eyes stung with tears and she tried to hold them back, wanting to be strong for him. She didn't know what to feel. This brought the war too close to home. Now that one of her best friends was dead, it opened new ideas. They were all in this for real. This wasn't a dream. Voldemort was real and he was deadly. Any one of them could be next and if the Order was defeated, this could be reality for everyone. She closed her eyes tightly, whispering into his ear.

"I'm so sorry, Sirius. This shouldn't have happened. Not to her."

She pulled away from him as his grip loosened and held him out, reaching up to tuck his soft black hair behind his ear. He offered a poor attempt at a smile.

"It doesn't feel real." He said with a sigh. "I was there… and I watched her…" He swallowed quickly. "I couldn't do anything."

Eleanor felt her tears stream down her cheeks. Troubling visuals shot through her mind. Ally crumpled on the ground, Sirius screaming in a rage.

"When we were finished, most were dead." He looked down. "Two of ours were lost. Seamus and… and Ally." Sirius coughed gently against his fist and his face hardened. "I just wish… I wish I could finish of Voldemort myself. I'd drag it out… long and painful. He deserves it."

"He does, Sirius, but he's way too strong for you to handle on your own."

"Yeah, right. He's probably this scrawny little boy hiding behind his massive army." Sirius rolled his eyes. They glistened with tears again. He knew that wasn't true and that it was doubtful that anyone could take Voldemort alone… if they could find him. "I just wish none of this happened. It's so…hard knowing that when I go home, she isn't going to be there anymore. Her smile… her eyes."

Eleanor sighed, slouching forward and wiping at her eyes as she gave up. She couldn't hold them back anymore. Sirius pulled her against his chest and she suddenly felt bad for being so weak when he needed her. He wrapped his arms around her tightly and she settled against him, both of them crying quietly. Being held like this was so comfortable and safe. She pulled away from him for a second, wondering what Remus would think if he were to see them. Her in her underwear, wrapped up in the arms of Sirius Black. Sirius looked down for a moment.

"Do you think I could stay here tonight, Nell? I'm fine here on the couch."

Eleanor nodded. "Of course… it's not a problem."

She stood up and walked to the hall closet, pulling down a blanket. Sirius had kicked off his shoes and laid back against a pillow on the arm of the couch. He took in a deep breath, wiped his eyes, and then let it out in a long sigh. Eleanor came back to him with a smile. She thought about going back to bed and it suddenly seemed so huge and empty. She climbed onto the couch with a laugh and he shifted so she could lie down between him and the back cushions. Spreading the blanket over them, she raised her wand to turn off the light and brought her head down to rest against his chest. He sighed lightly, wrapping his arms around her.

"Thank you, Eleanor."

She reached up and cupped his face in her hand, running her thumb across his cheek.

"Sirius, it's going to be okay. We'll get them."

He was quiet for a long time before she heard him sniffle. Her thumb brushed a tear.

"I know." He said quietly, closing his eyes.


	16. Revenge

"I'm sure you've all heard about the trouble Voldemort has been causing lately."

Everyone was quiet, all eyes on Dumbledore as he paced the room slowly. They were seated in the living room of a secret house, kept safe with spells and charms. The Order of the Phoenix as Dumbledore called them. The group was comprised of witches and wizards who were dedicated to defeating the evil wizard, who dubbed himself Lord Voldemort, and his faithful followers, the Death Eaters. James, Lily, Sirius, Remus, and Eleanor were just a few faces of the handful that were from Hogwarts graduating class the year before. Others were older wizards who had already dealt with the Death Eaters and worked to train the younger wizards for what they would be facing.

"Two of our own, from the Order, were killed just last week." He stopped, looking suddenly older and more tired than ever. "Ally Hudson and Seamus O'Hare."

Eleanor reached over to rest a hand on Sirius's arm as she saw his fists clench. Sirius met her eyes for a moment, his expression blank. She frowned, looking up at Dumbledore.

"He's getting more daring and, may I say, much more powerful. Everyday, more and more people are being tricked and fooled into following him. We must make a stand."

An older wizard stood up. "Our man on the inside has gotten the location of two Death Eater headquarters. He's also identified a number of wizards in You-Know-Who's inner circle."

Dumbledore nodded. "Good. Thank you, Mundungus."

Dumbledore turned to them, standing straighter. "We should send in a team, then. Fish them out… deliver them to the Ministry for their trials."

"I'd like to go." James stood, his face set in determination.

Lily frowned slightly, looking up at him.

"Right, James. You're in charge of the operation. Go swiftly and be careful."

Dumbledore left the room then and everyone quickly stood, men approaching James to offer their services. Lily and Eleanor sighed, moving away from them to one side of the room.

"That's quite an honor, Lily." Eleanor looked over at her with an unenthusiastic smile.

"I know." Lily ran a hand over her stomach, which was showing only slightly through her jacket. "I'm just worried. We've got a lot more at risk now."

Eleanor looked down at her stomach with a frown. "I'm sure he knows, Lily… but perhaps it's his way of protecting it. Long term."

Lily met her eyes with a small smile. Remus approached them, offering a smile to Lily.

"Nell, you should go home with Lily."

"You're going, too?" Eleanor raised a brow.

"Yes." He nodded, leaning in to kiss her cheek. "We'll be back as soon as we can."

"Be careful." Eleanor said simply.

He smirked. "Always."

He made his way back to the group of wizards James had chosen and Eleanor sighed, watching them. She hated that it had to come to this. People dying to stop one foolish, power hungry wizard. Those kinds of people made her sick and she wished that one day she'd have the chance to kill Voldemort herself. Lily took her hand gently, motioning toward the door.

"Let's go back to my house."

Eleanor nodded, following her outside.

"James was there when Ally died." Lily sighed. "He had a few nightmares about it. That's why I got worried when he was so quick to volunteer this time."

Eleanor frowned. "Yeah… that must have been hard. Sirius was a mess that night."

Lily raised a brow, looking over at her curiously. Eleanor shifted in her seat, wondering how best to explain it other than 'I comforted him and we fell asleep in each other's arms.'

"You saw him? James had no idea where he'd gone. After the fight was over, he took off."

Eleanor stared down at the floor, kicking the rug with her toe. "Yeah… he turned up at my house. I let him sleep on the couch. He was…out of it."

Lily frowned. "It's a shame. It scares me, Nell. Like… that could have been James, you know? And them going out there tonight…"

Eleanor sighed. "I know… makes it much more real. I worry about Remus."

"He's an extraordinary wizard, Nell. And he's very smart." Lily said as if those might be super powers guaranteed to defeat Voldemort.

"Yeah, I know." Eleanor sank into her seat with a sigh, her mind traveling to Sirius. "I hope Sirius doesn't lose his head and do something rash."

Lily nodded in agreement. "The boys will be there to keep him in check. They'll be fine. Let's just get some sleep."

Eleanor laid back against the arm of the couch, closing her eyes. A heavy hand on her arm woke her with a start. She sat forward, looking up at James. He had a cut on his face from the corner of his mouth up to his ear and he was all dirtied, his robes a mess. She glanced over to see that Lily was already up. Then she heard someone wail from the kitchen. James turned with a frown to head back into the other room. Her heart fell and she jumped to her feet, running past him to see who it was. When she made it in through the doorway, everyone looked up at her. They were all injured in some way and all were crowded around Sirius who was seated in a chair, Lily working on a large gash in his thigh. Remus was holding his shoulders tightly, his knuckles bloodied and bruised. He had an open cut across the bridge of his nose, too. Peter stood in the corner, ringing his hands. He looked practically unscathed.

"What…" Eleanor began, but couldn't finish.

Sirius laughed through his teeth against the pain. "We won! We showed them!"

"Barely." She heard James mutter. He and Remus met eyes.

She felt a slight sense of relief to know they were all okay and that they'd been successful. Lily finished with Sirius's leg, bandages coming from the tip of her wand and wrapping themselves around the cut tightly. He winced but pushed himself to his feet, his arm wrapped around Remus's shoulder.

"Sirius, you should rest. You're staying here tonight…" Lily said gently.

"No." Sirius said quickly. "I'm fine. I want to go home."

Remus looked over at Eleanor with a frown. "Go home, Nell… I'll meet you there."

Eleanor nodded and, with a quiet crack, Remus and Sirius disappeared. Eleanor looked over at James with a sigh, reaching up toward the cut on his cheek.

"Are you alright?"

James took her hand with a small smile, nodding. "I'm fine, Nell. Go on home and get some rest. It's over for tonight."

Eleanor nodded, looking over to Peter with a smile. "How about you, Peter?"

"Oh, very fine, thank you!" Peter smiled nervously, waving a goodbye before apparating from the room.

Eleanor just stared at where he had stood with a sigh. "Curious fellow."

"You said it." Lily sighed, using her wand to clean the blood from the kitchen.

"Goodbye, you guys." She closed her eyes and got the familiar feeling of being forced through a small tube. When she reopened them, she was standing in her living room. She stretched, the squeezed sensation lingering. A moment later and Remus came from the bathroom, dabbing at his nose with a wet cloth.

"It was a mess tonight, Nell. Sirius… went completely mad. He always tries to take things into his own hands… thinking he can defeat the universe." Remus muttered angrily.

Eleanor took the rag from him, wiping up the blood from his face.

"I'm just glad you're all okay."

"So am I!" He laughed mockingly. "He pounced before the signals, spells flying everywhere like a madman! Then we find out there were even more of them than we thought! We could have died tonight because of his foolishness."

"But you didn't."

"We got lucky! Nell, don't defend him!" He took a step away from her, turning away and heading toward the bedroom.

"I'm not… I was just saying, be grateful. You're still alive."

"Oh, trust me. I'm grateful. Very grateful that half of the Death Eaters in there were imbeciles who wouldn't know what a curse was if it came up and introduced itself. But trust me, they know now."

She followed behind him quietly, yawning and covering her mouth.

"I'm exhausted. I can't wait to just… sleep this off and forget about it."

He changed into a pair of sweatpants and climbed into bed, collapsing onto his pillow. She sighed, changing as well and lying down next to him, turning off the light.

"Goodnight, Remus."

She frowned when he didn't reply. He was already asleep.


	17. The Arrival

"Just a cup of vanilla, please!" Eleanor tiptoed to see over Sirius's shoulder, waving to Florean Fortescue who stood inside.

The old man waved back with a laugh, handing her order out of the window. Sirius handed it to her with a smile, waving her off to go and find a table. Eleanor turned about and looked around at the small white tables outside, red umbrellas hovering over them for shade. A few were occupied here and there, a few witches meeting her eyes with polite smiles. She picked one that came close to the curb so she could watch people walking by in the street. Sirius joined her a few seconds later, taking his seat across from her. She smirked, sitting back and taking a bite of the ice cream. Florean served the best ice cream she'd ever tasted. She used to come here often with Remus, James, and Lily over the summer vacations. Sirius looked at her for a moment, a smile on his lips and a look in his eye that Eleanor wasn't sure she'd seen before. He looked at her the way she remembered Remus doing years ago. A mumbling wizard caught his eye as he came out of a shop across the street, hollering about absurd prices, and Sirius looked away. Eleanor's eyes fell to her lap and she bit into her lip, feeling a little guilty for his attention. Ever since the night he'd lost Ally, almost six months ago, they'd been closer than ever. Sirius always came around during the full moons to keep her company while Remus was away, taking her out for ice cream or just sitting inside for a few drinks and a game of wizard's chess. She'd grown to like him more and more during their time together.

"How's Remus?"

Eleanor was taken from her thoughts as Sirius spoke up. She looked over and met his eyes, taking a moment to figure out what he'd asked her.

"He's fine."

Sirius laughed at the delayed reaction and pondered asking what was on her mind. He hoped it was him. "That's good, Nell. But I mean… how are things? You know, with you two?"

Eleanor looked around her with a frown. Was he really asking her this on a crowded street? Did he really want to discuss this here?

"Well…" She started, trying to fill space. "We're… I guess we're-"

She stopped, suddenly looking over at him. He wasn't smiling anymore, he looked more concerned as if he'd expected her to light up with a great big smile and go on and on about how dandy their lives were.

"What?" She bit her lip uneasily.

"Well… nothing. I just-"

"-Assumed I was happy?"

"You're not?"

Eleanor bit the inside of her cheek and looked away, feeling bad about discussing her relationship with one of Remus's best friends. But this had been troubling her for a long time and she hadn't told anyone. She couldn't keep it to herself anymore.

"No. We're miserable."

Sirius looked down, not knowing what to say.

"It's not easy… being the only one with a paying job. I'm always so tired." She shrugged. "All we do is scream at each other over the stupidest things, Sirius."

"Well… that's fixable, isn't it?"

"Last I heard," She started, stabbing her spoon into her ice cream. "There wasn't a cure for lycanthropy."

Sirius looked away from her, not knowing how to react. Remus was his best friend and times were undoubtedly harder for him lately, but Eleanor had put herself through much more than anyone else would have for him.

"Sometimes I just wish that… I would have realized how right I was to break up with him two years ago back in Hogwarts."

"Nell…" Sirius shook his head. "Don't."

Eleanor took in a sharp breath, looking away. "Then don't ask."

Sirius just looked at her for a moment, feeling really bad for starting this. He took one last bite of his ice cream before getting up and throwing it out. He came back and stood beside her chair.

"Come on… walk with me."

She looked up at him before getting up and handing him her ice cream. He threw it out and came back to her, putting a hand on the small of her back to lead her.

"Where are we going?" She asked.

"I don't know." He shrugged with a laugh. "I just thought that walking would be better to think. But, you know, Nell… I am here for you if you need to talk to me."

"Yeah, I know." She lied. He obviously wasn't.

"So, if you two are so unhappy… why don't you just end it? No one had any idea, I assure you. You two always looked fine."

She forced a smile. "I don't know. I don't think either of us wants to admit that we can't make it work. Me, especially. I just… can't keep supporting him the way that I am. It's not fair."

"I know… but it's not-"

"I know it isn't his fault. That's why I can't leave him. I feel so horrible and selfish about it all."

"Well… you have to make sacrifices sometimes to be truly happy. Which could go either way. Sacrifice your… free time to be with him or sacrifice him to be happy. I know it can be hard, Nell… how many years has it been? You don't know anything else."

She stayed quiet, thinking on this point. It was true, she'd only dated one boy other than Remus, excluding the single date with Severus. Remus was comfortable to her, he was home. She couldn't imagine herself as anything other than 'Lupin's girlfriend'. She sighed.

"I think you've hit the nail on the head with that one." She laughed quietly. "I'm afraid… to be on my own."

"It's not so bad." Sirius said coolly, though his facial expression echoed something like pain.

Eleanor frowned, looking down. She got the sudden urge to hold his hand and let him know that he wasn't alone.

"Maybe." She muttered, glancing at his hand as it swung by his side. She inched hers over a tiny bit, her pinky catching his thumb as he swung it forward in stride. He seemed as though he was about to apologize until he realized that she didn't let go. Her heart pounded and she slid her hand into his, squeezing gently. She could feel him looking at her, but she kept he gaze on the ground, her mind reeling. What was she doing? Was she expecting something to come of this? Even if he did like her, there was no way he would do anything behind Remus's back. A sudden pang of guilt struck her and she looked around, hoping she didn't see any familiar faces. Thankfully, it was mostly children and their parents shopping for back-to-school items. Sirius stayed quiet though he could barely control the smile on his face.

He stopped out front of a joke shop and motioned for her to wait.

"I'll be right back…"

She looked at him like he was crazy, biting back a smile. "I can't come in?"

"Nell…" He gave her a look and she sighed.

"Alright, alright."

She watched him disappear inside and crossed her arms, tiptoeing to see through the glass panes in the door. Nothing. A small witch bumped her as she passed and quickly apologized. Eleanor smiled, waving to her.

"It's alright."

The woman continued on and Eleanor heard someone call her name. She turned about again, but saw no one.

"Eleanor!"

A little annoyed and hoping it wasn't some sort of a trick, she turned quickly and saw Peter coming toward her with a huge grin on his face. She sighed, smiling.

"Peter, hello."

"Hi… I saw you both walking and I thought… I would come and say hello." He said through his panting, grabbing at a stitch in his chest.

Eleanor laughed. "That's thoughtful. How have you been, Peter?"

"Just fine, and yourself?"

Eleanor nodded. "I'm getting along."

"Ah, yes… yes. Have you heard?" Peter's eyes widened in excitement.

Heard the birds chirping? The kids screaming? The wind blowing?

"Heard what?" Eleanor asked with a confused smile, raising a brow.

"James told me to come and get you! Lily's in hospital!"

Eleanor heart skipped a beat and her smile faded quickly. "In hospital?! Is she alright?"

Peter laughed. "Oh, yes! Yes, she's fine! It's about that time, though… she's gone into labor!"

Eyes wide, Eleanor just stared at him. Sirius came out then, waving hello to Peter. When Eleanor turned to him, the words still caught in her throat, he held up a marble.

"What…?" Eleanor began.

Before she could ask, Sirius gave a flick of his wrist and the marble suddenly became a bouquet of flowers. Her smile spread and she looked up at him, feeling herself go pink. People had stopped and applauded with "Awe's". They probably thought they caught young, innocent love in the making. Eleanor reached up and took it, shaking her head.

"All of that… for this?"

"It made you smile." He shrugged, grinning.

She laughed, shaking her head and hugging him tightly. "Thank you."

"Don't mention it."

"Well done, Sirius!" Peter clapped his hands excitedly.

"Oh, Sirius!" Eleanor jumped backward, slapping his arm with a smirk. "We have to get to St. Mungo's!"

Sirius raised a brow. "Uh… okay. Why?"

"Peter's just come to tell us… Lily's in labor!"

Sirius just laughed, running a hand back through his hair. "Well… what're we waiting for?"

He grabbed onto her hand and took off at a run.


	18. The Blacks

Eleanor bit her lip nervously, staring at the tile pattern in the waiting room floor. Her foot tapped impatiently against her knee and she wished, more than ever, that Remus was there with her. She looked over at Sirius who sat beside her, sunken deeply into his chair with his head resting back, eyes wide open and staring at the ceiling.

"Does it normally take this long?"

"I don't know." He sighed. "Thankfully, I've never had to endure childbirth."

She pushed herself up out of her chair and walked across to the doors leading down the hospital wing. No sign of James yet.

"Sit down… you're making me nervous." Sirius looked up at her.

"I can't… I'm just so…" She giggled. 'Excited! It's finally here… you know how long I've been waiting for this day?"

Sirius smirked, raising a brow. "Nine months?"

"Exactly! It's like... It's my own pregnancy or something." She sighed, stopping where she was and putting her hands on her hips. "I guess because I'll never have kids of my own…"

"Don't say that, Nell…" Sirius frowned, looking up at her. "There are other ways."

Eleanor waved a hand as if to brush the topic aside and forced a smile. "It's alright, Sirius."

Just then, the door to the hospital wing flung open and James came into the waiting room, looking a bit out of breath. He and had a huge grin on his face and tears in his eyes. Sirius stood up beside Eleanor, taking her hand gently. Eleanor felt herself tear up as she stared at James expectantly.

James opened his arms wide and laughed. "It's a boy!"

Eleanor and Sirius rushed forward and hugged him in a confusion of limbs and excited laughter.

"I can't believe it!" Eleanor gushed. "Are we allowed to go in and see her?"

"Yeah, come on!"

James grabbed Eleanor's hand, pulling her toward the double doors. She followed after him at a run, Sirius tagging along behind, holding her other hand. They were all laughing excitedly and she had the image of a bunch of children running through a schoolyard. Nurses stopped by open doorways to watch them, some annoyed, some smiling knowingly. James came to a stop outside of a door close to the end of the hall and knocked quietly. Then he turned the handle, pushing it inward. Lily looked up from her bed, grinning ear to ear. In her arms, a small baby was sleeping, wrapped in a blue blanket, jet black hair showing through the top. Eleanor rushed over, putting an arm around Lily's shoulders, kissing her forehead gently. Lily pulled the blanket down gently, showing Eleanor the child's face.

"Oh..." Eleanor said, covering her mouth. "He's so beautiful."

"We're going to call him Harry. Harry after James's father, of course. And for a middle name, we were thinking James. Instead of having a junior." Lily shrugged, smirking. "What do you think?"

Eleanor wiped at her eyes, conjuring up a chair beside the bed. She sat down with a sigh.

"Harry James Potter." Sirius said, walking up. "I think it's perfect."

"So did I, mate." James said, walking up on the other side of the bed.

Sirius stood behind Eleanor, a hand on her shoulder. She leaned forward, elbows rested on her knees and arms crossed. She reached one hand up to place on top of Sirius's.

"It's a great name, Lily… James."

"You know…" James looked down at the baby, his smile widening. "We've got a special favor to ask you both… the Blacks."

Eleanor smiled inwardly as Sirius laced his fingers with hers. Had she just blushed? She began imagining that she had dated him instead of Remus. Her life may have been a little easier. She would be living in a large, stately house instead of struggling to hold onto the ragged and cramped flat she shared with Remus. She would have money and not have to work double time to make up for the money Remus wasn't bringing in. Most important to her, she wouldn't have had to sacrifice motherhood. Lily spoke, waking Eleanor from her dreams.

"We'd like you to be Harry's godparents."

Eleanor's eyes widened and she looked up at Sirius. He grinned down at her, gently squeezing her hand.

"That's fantastic!" Sirius laughed, letting go of Eleanor to walk around the bed and hug James again. "We'd love to."

Eleanor wiped more frantically at her eyes with a laugh. "You guys… I'm a mess! This is just… ugh. Too much!"

Everyone laughed and Sirius came around the bed, sweeping her up into a tight hug. She rested her head against his chest with a laugh.

"Mr. Black… we've got a godson now!" Eleanor giggled.

"Indeed we do, Miss Black. We've got to do right by this one and hope he doesn't turn out like us."

James and Lilly laughed, nodding in agreement.

"Would you like to hold him, Nell?" Lily asked, sitting forward.

"Oh, could I?" Sirius let her go and she walked back to the bed, holding her arms out.

Lily gently laid the baby in her arms and Eleanor shifted, holding him close and looking down at him. Sirius stood over her shoulder, looking down at him.

"He looks exactly like you, James…" Eleanor laughed.

"Lily's eyes." Sirius corrected her.

"Oh, definitely."

James sat down next to Lily, taking her hand. They watched Sirius and Eleanor for a moment before meeting eyes. Just then, a nurse came into the room with a sad smile.

"I'm sorry… visiting hours are over. Only parents for the night." Then she left.

Eleanor frowned with a laugh, bending down to kiss Harry's forehead. She turned to Sirius so he could do the same before she took him over and handed him back to Lily.

"Goodnight, little Harry Potter!" Eleanor laughed, kissing Lily's cheek again. "And Lily Potter!"

Lily laughed. "Night, Nell…"

After saying their goodbyes, Eleanor and Sirius left the hospital. Once they got outside, Sirius took her hand again. Eleanor smiled, meeting his eyes for a moment before looking down and shifting her feet nervously.

"Let me drive you home, Nell."

"Drive me home? With what?" She raised a brow.

Sirius laughed, turning to face her. "You haven't heard?'

"Heard….?" Eleanor looked confused.

Sirius motioned excitedly for her to follow him and he walked quickly across the parking lot, stopping and practically dancing in his spot. He waved his wand at an empty parking space and Eleanor took a few steps closer, not believing what she was seeing.

"Sirius Black, you didn't!"

"I did! I did!" He laughed.

In the spot, between two old modeled cars, appeared a large black and silver motorcycle. Eleanor shook her head with a laugh.

"You're not taking me home on that, Sirius…"

"Oh, come on, Nell!" He ran over to her, taking hold of her hand and pulling toward the bike.

Finally giving in, she climbed onto the motorcycle behind him, tucking her robes beneath her. Her heart raced. She'd never been on one of these things before but she knew they were fast… and loud. Sirius started the bike, the engine below them roaring wildly. She instantly moved forward, pressing herself against him, and wrapped her arms about his waist. He smirked, walking the bike back out of the spot. He hesitated a moment, revving the engine. Then the motorcycle lurched forward and, to Eleanor's surprise, took off into the air. Eleanor shrieked, pulling Sirius tighter to her. She buried her face into the back of his shoulder with a laugh, closing her eyes as the cool, night air whipped through her hair.

"Open your eyes!" He said, turning to look over his shoulder.

After a moment, she forced herself to open one eye. The view shocked her. High over the city, the lights of the homes and buildings looked like twinkling stars below them.

"That's amazing!" She hollered, leaning over to look down.

"I know!"

They landed a few moments later, Sirius only missing her street by two. He pulled around to the front of her building and stopped the bike. Eleanor climbed off, her legs weak and shaking like jello. She laughed, leaning a hand on his shoulder.

"That was amazing, Sirius… I can't believe… that was just…" She laughed, waving her free hand around like a spaz.

He just laughed, shaking his head. "Nell, your hair looks ridiculous."

She turned a slight pink, attempting to rake her fingers through her hair.

"It's okay." He smiled, reaching up to touch her hair. "Very becoming of you."

She just smiled and rolled her eyes, taking a step back from the bike. "Thanks, Sirius… I appreciate the ride."

Sirius nodded, looking down a moment. "It's no problem, Nell. Take care of yourself, okay?"

He suddenly looked a little sad and she felt her stomach twist. She took a moment to really look him over, closer than she had in a while. Over the past few years, it had become obvious to her that she was falling for him and it made her feel horrible. She still loved Remus and she knew she always would, but life with him was proving impossible. Sirius had seemed to understand this and it was obvious he was trying to respect her and any decision she made. And no matter how much she wanted him, it would always feel wrong in the back of her mind.

"You, too." She gave a small wave and backed toward the front door.

He watched her with a smile until she was reaching to turn the key in the door. Turning to look ahead of him with a sigh, he pushed the bike upright. She hesitated at the lock, closing her eyes. She fought inwardly over her next move. She couldn't possibly… but she wanted to. She needed to.

"Sirius!"

Sirius stopped just as he was about to leave, turning to look at Eleanor. She was approaching him with a look he couldn't easy translate. He switched off the ignition and the street was silent. The pounding of his own heart drowned out everything else. She stopped beside him, looking down and chewing gently on her bottom lip.

"Look, Sirius… could you just… would you mind…"

Sirius frowned. "What's wrong, Nell?"

She sighed, her eyes glazing slightly. "I don't want to be alone tonight."

His heart sank suddenly and he just looked up at her. He wanted this more than anything in the world. He looked around them as if Remus would just come walking up any second. Of course, he wasn't going to. They had at least another night before he returned. He met her eyes again and felt himself melt. He couldn't help falling in love with her and it wasn't his fault things weren't working out between her and Remus. So, why couldn't he show her?

"I'll stay." He said quietly, motioning for her to hold on a second. He walked the bike over to the curb and got off of it, his heart pounding in his head.

Eleanor felt sick. What was she doing? Remus didn't deserve this. Was she just trying to give him a reason to hate her? She didn't know. She led Sirius up four flights of stairs and into her apartment. It was clean and neat despite the state of the neighborhood outside of the building. True, her home wasn't made in the best part of town but her and Remus did their best to take good care of it. Sirius had been there many times before to keep Eleanor company while Remus was away on full moons, but this seemed different. The apartment seemed darker, cramped and stifling. Both wizards were on edge, taking extra care not to touch. An accidental brush of their hands, meeting of their eyes and they felt that sudden twinge of guilt.

Eleanor motioned toward the kitchen. "Let me get you a drink? Are you hungry?" She asked, not really expecting an answer.

And she didn't get one either. Sirius followed behind her quietly, a little unaware of what he was even doing. He felt like a foolish schoolboy again, innocent and ignorant. Eleanor stopped in front of the sink, leaning against the counter to support herself. She closed her eyes tightly, a little surprised by the sigh that escaped her as Sirius's hands snaked around her waist, his breath short and hot against the back of her neck. Setting Remus aside in her mind, she focused on what she had before her now. She turned around in Sirius's arms, looking up into his eyes. Their lips met momentarily, but she pulled away quickly, teasing him. He laughed quietly, his hands slipping up under her shirt, his fingertips brushing over the cotton of her bra. Sirius allowed himself to be led for a moment as Eleanor walked him backward toward the hallway, but then grabbed her by the arms, forcing her up against the hallway wall. A small, framed photograph was knocked to the floor and Eleanor laughed, kicking it aside. Sirius buried his face in her neck, his lips kissing her throat gently, his fingertips pressed into her hips. Her scent was light and sweet and her skin tasted salty from sweat.

Eleanor took hold of his jacket, pushing it back off of his shoulders. He helped to get rid of it and stood back a moment so the two of them could manage to shed their clothing. Eleanor ran her fingers across his toned shoulders with a smile, pushing him back into the bedroom door. He looked her over with hungry eyes, wetting the tip of his lips with his tongue. This drove Eleanor crazy. She wrapped her arms around his neck, kissing him deeply and forcefully. Somehow, they managed to get the door open and stumble their way across the dark room. Sirius landed on top of her on the bed, his knee crushing her thigh against the mattress.

"Ouch!" She cried with a laugh.

"Sorry!" He laughed sheepishly. "You alright?"

She inched her way up the bed with a smile. "I'm fine." She looked up into his eyes as pale moonlight flooded through the bedroom windows above them. "How're you?"

His smile widened and he lowered his head to kiss her chest. "Never better."


	19. Hiding

"Hey, Nell…. Nell, wake up." Remus called to her softly.

Eleanor opened her eyes slowly, groaning. The room was still veiled in shadows, reddish light tinting the walls, and she wondered what hour in the morning it was.

"What?" She managed to ask before a yawn took over. "What time is it?"

"Nell, we've got to go. I just received word from James and Lily…"

Eleanor pushed herself up into a sitting position, looking at him like he was crazy.

"James…up before noon?" Eleanor raised a brow. "Must be important."

Remus gave what she thought might be a smile. It looked more painful than cheery though. He handed her some clothes before getting up off of the bed.

"We've got to hurry." Was all that he said before he left the room.

Eleanor's mind reeled. What could the problem be? Was something wrong with baby Harry? She climbed out of bed and quickly got dressed while mulling over every possible explanation for getting her out of bed this early. She met Remus in the living room, trying to slip on her shoes as she walked. He was already dressed and ready to go, looking upset.

"Remus," Eleanor started, reaching over to brush the hair out of his eyes. "What's wrong?"

He closed his eyes with a sigh, shaking his head. "They didn't say, Nell… just that Dumbledore said they didn't have too much time to… say goodbye."

Eleanor's heart sank. "Goodbye?"

Remus shook his head, standing up and waving it off. "I don't know anything more than that, Nell… so we've got to go quickly and see them. Are you ready?"

Eleanor nodded, grabbing her jacket from the arm of the couch. She put it on and followed him out of the door. He led the way down to the street and turned into an alley on the side of the building, kicking around a few bags of trash.

"It's got to be here somewhere." He mumbled, throwing a few things out of his way.

"What?" Eleanor looked around, wondering what exactly she was supposed to look for.

"Dumbledore's set us up a… aha." He said, picking up an old, half deflated basketball. "The Portkey."

Eleanor nodded in understanding, stepping up to him and taking hold of it. They waited a few short moments before Eleanor felt the world suddenly spin away from them. She clenched her eyes closed, trying to ignore the spinning sensation. When her feet finally hit ground, she let go of the basketball and looked around her. They were in Godric's Hollow, in front of James and Lily's place. Every light in the house was shining bright and they could hear Harry crying from inside. Remus took her hand and walked up to the front door, not bothering to knock. Eleanor didn't know what exactly she should have been expecting, but she knew it wasn't this. On the other side of the door was James and Lily's house but not how it usually was. The place looked like it was turned over, everything was a mess. Books thrown from the bookshelves, papers ripped from drawers. Even chairs were overturned. Eleanor closed the door quietly, looking around. They heard James and Lily arguing quietly in the other room and both of them headed for their voices. Remus pushed open the door to the kitchen and stopped quickly as James wheeled around, wand pointed directly at his face.

"Whoa!"

"James!" Eleanor screamed in reflex.

James quickly lowered his wand and put his head in his hands. "Oi… I'm sorry, mate. I just… I'm a mess. Don't know what to expect lately."

Remus stayed quiet, entering the room. Eleanor slowly came in behind him. Every kitchen cabinet was open and fished through, some drawers overturned onto the floor. Lily gracefully stepped over silverware and broken glasses to get to Eleanor, pulling her into a hug.

"Oh, Nell!" Lily sniffled. She pulled away and Eleanor noticed that her eyes were red and puffy.

"What's going on, Lily? What happened to the house?"

"Bugs…" James spoke before Lily could. James looked furious, motioning around the kitchen. "Or a rat. Someone's been leaking secret Order information to Voldemort himself."

"But…" Remus said in disbelief, though he really had no way to finish that sentence.

"Dumbledore said something… about a prophecy and Voldemort being afraid that a wizard… just born… would grow up and be the one to defeat him. So he's after us! After Harry!"

Eleanor's jaw dropped. "After you?"

"Dumbledore says we've got to go into hiding." James said quietly, clenching his jaw. "We've got to lay low… no one can know. Means no more Order… no more war." James looked angry about this point especially. He spoke of the Order of the Phoenix, created by Dumbledore himself as a group to fight the war against the evil of Voldemort. All of them were currently active members, James most exclusively. There was nothing James hated more in the world than dark magic and Death Eaters. The Order was his life.

"James, he's right."

"I know." James agreed, nodding. "This is what I have to do for my family."

"Have you told Sirius?" Eleanor asked.

"Yes." Lily nodded. "He's with Peter."

The door opened behind them and, this time, all of them raised their wands in defense. Dumbledore entered the kitchen, his hands in the air as if this were some weird sort of stick up. But that was the only attention he'd given it. He immediately got to business.

"James, Lily… we must go. Now."

Eleanor met Lily's eyes and the two girls hugged each other tightly.

"Take care of Harry." Eleanor whispered to Lily. "Protect him."

"With my life." Lily pulled away with a sad smile, giving Remus a quick hug.

James picked up the crying infant from a basinet across the room and motioned for Lily to follow Dumbledore. Lily nodded, leaving the room behind Dumbledore. James stopped beside Eleanor and Remus.

"I don't know how long we'll be gone…" He started, but he didn't seem to know how to finish.

Eleanor leaned up to kiss his cheek, then bent down to kiss Harry's forehead. Remus hugged his friend gently, being careful of the infant.

"Be safe, James." Remus said as James disappeared through the door.

Eleanor met Remus's eyes and realized he was feeling the same way. Utterly confused and bewildered. They both exited the kitchen and made their way through the living room. Eleanor looked down as she stumbled over an overturned drawer. She was about to walk away when she spotted a glint of gold. Remus turned back to her as he reached the door.

"Come on, Nell… it isn't safe here."

"Coming." She bent down and grabbed the object on the floor, stuffing it in her pocket before heading out of the door behind Remus. She wasn't going to lose her best friend without something to remember her by. Once they made it outside, Remus looked around for where he had dropped the Portkey.

"What time is it?"

"I don't know, why?"

Eleanor frowned. "I have to be to work by 8."

Remus stopped what he was doing and looked over at her, his face twisted in a mix of confusion and disgust. "A time like this and that's all you can think about?"

Eleanor frowned, the comment stinging. "It's all I can afford to think about, Remus. They're gone… they're shoved away in hiding. I, unfortunately, have to earn our living. I can't afford to miss a day of work unless you have no problem sleeping in a box on a street corner!"

His face changed quickly and she could tell she'd embarrassed him. Remus hated that it was so hard for him to find work, him being a werewolf and all. He hated that Eleanor had to pull the weight for them both. Truthfully, so did Eleanor.

Remus bent down and picked up the basketball, bringing it back to her. He held it out for her to hold and she just looked at him for a moment before gripping it with both hands.


	20. And Then There Were Two

"Have you heard?"

Eleanor looked up uncomfortably as a younger witch with bright purple hair stared at her with a cheery smile.

"Heard what?"

"What they're saying about… You-Know-Who."

"I've been here, Claire. Of course I haven't heard." Eleanor shook her head with a sigh, going back to writing up a report on jinxed toilets.

"Well, I heard that he's dead!" Claire laughed, clapping her hands.

Eleanor laughed quietly to herself. "Right, Claire."

"No, really! The Potters… Apparently, Voldemort tried to kill their son and something went wrong and he just… vanished. Disappeared! And the boy… perfectly fine except a cut on his forehead."

Eleanor froze, staring down at the paper. Her insides felt like ice.

"What happened-"

"Oh." The witch sounded sad. "Well… he killed them first thing."

Eleanor felt the sudden urge to throw up. She got to her feet and put out her hands to steady herself. This couldn't be true. She had to have gotten bad information from some jokester.

"Are you sure?"

Just then, her boss came running down the hall with a laugh. "Eleanor! You've got the day off! Good news, good news! Voldemort's dead! This is a day for celebrating!"

"Cele…"

"Did you know them?" Claire asked simply, her face screwed up with regret.

Eleanor turned away from her, making her way down the hall. She felt so lost and so numb, everything was blurred. It felt like some had dropped a weight on her chest. Closing her eyes tightly, she apparated with a soft crack back to her apartment. Remus looked up from the kitchen table, his face reflecting the same thing she had been feeling.

"So… it's true, then?" She asked quietly.

Remus nodded, getting to his feet. His voice cracked as he spoke.

"Voldemort killed them to get to Harry. Something… something went wrong and he couldn't kill him. Voldemort's really gone."

Eleanor sighed, silent tears streaming down her cheeks. She wouldn't lose it. It wasn't worth getting upset over because it just couldn't be true. She hadn't heard from Lily and James in a little over a week and this couldn't have happened. No one knew where they were. No one except their secret keeper.

"I can't find Sirius anywhere… I've been trying to contact everyone. Dumbledore was there just after it happened and Harry's safe now, but-"

"Where is he?" Eleanor looked up at him. "Where's he going to take him?"

"I don't know." Remus shook his head.

"Well, he belongs with us… or with Sirius."

"Nell, it's not that…"

"If Voldemort's gone than there's nothing he needs to be protected from anymore!"

"How could it possibly be that simple, Nell?" Remus hollered, just staring at her. "There's no possible way that he's dead… and Dumbledore must know it."

Eleanor turned away from him and, on cue, there was a knock on the door. It opened before either of them could reach it and Dumbledore stepped inside with Harry nowhere to be seen. Eleanor turned and walked toward him. Dumbledore stood straighter as if to intimidate her and keep her from coming too close. It seemed to work. She stopped a few feet away, looking up at him with wide eyes.

"Where's Harry?"

"He's safe." Dumbledore's eyes flicked from Eleanor, to Remus, and back. "Eleanor, I must apologize. In light of the situation, I find it in Harry's best interest that he does not stay with you."

Eleanor's face went red. "Who are you to decide Harry's best interest?"

"Eleanor, you've got neither the time, nor the money, to care for a child…" Dumbledore said as though it pained him to do so.

Eleanor's face fell. While he was right, she couldn't believe he'd said it so outright.

"What about Sirius?" She asked.

Dumbledore stayed quiet for a long moment before clearing his throat. "So, you haven't heard the complete story."

Eleanor's stomach felt like it was doing everything it could to make her sick. She put a hand over it, shaking her head in disbelief.

"What do you mean, the whole story?"

Dumbledore let out a soft sigh and hung his head. "Sirius Black was their secret keeper. He was the only one that-"

"No! No, he wouldn't have done that!'

"But, he did!" Dumbledore hollered, annoyed at being cut off. "And when poor Peter Pettigrew caught onto him and confronted him about it, Sirius blew him and twelve innocent Muggles into bits! He's been arrested…they'll probably ship him off to Azkaban without a trial."

"I can't believe it…" Remus said softly from behind her.

Eleanor must have been dreaming. James and Lily dead? Sirius a traitor for Voldemort? She swore, with the time they spent together, she would have known. And would loving her just been part of a cover? Her mind reeled and turned and guessed and came up with nothing but a headache. She turned away, collapsing into the couch. Remus came over and sat next to her, hands gripping his knees tightly. Dumbledore looked over at them with gentle eyes.

"I'm sorry things turned out this way."

Eleanor was so angry now that she could barely breathe. Remus smoothed his hand across her back, patting it gently. How could Sirius have done this to her? She felt sick and wrong and more guilty than ever to have thrown away what she had with Remus for some lying, backstabbing murderer. But something deep down still believed that what they had was real and that Sirius could never have done something like that on his own. Voldemort must have made him tell.

"Where are you taking Harry, then?" Remus asked.

"It's a curious thing, the Avada Kedavra. I don't believe there's ever been a case of someone surviving it."

Remus shook his head, wondering what this had to do with the question.

"I believe, Remus… that Harry survived because of the protection of his mother. Of a long story in a nutshell, I'm sending him to live with his Aunt Petunia… the only living blood relative of his mother's."

Eleanor's face scrunched in disgust as she turned to Dumbledore.

"Petunia? That foul-"

"Eleanor, hold your tongue. I understand that you're upset."

"Of course I'm upset! My best friend just died trying to save her baby and you repay her by sending him to live with the one person who probably hates him most in the world!"

"I've written her quite a convincing letter."

Dumbledore stood, gathering his robes about him as he prepared to leave. "I know, in time, you will understand."

He nodded to Remus before disappearing into thin air with a soft pop. Eleanor threw herself back into the couch, bringing her hands to her eyes.

"I don't understand…"

Remus said nothing. What could he have said? It didn't make much sense to him either and he didn't want it to.

"All of the things Lily and I did to her when we were kids… every awful thing and here, he gives her the perfect opportunity to get her revenge!"

"I'm sure that's not-"

"How would he know what we did to her? How does he know what he'd putting Harry into? He has no idea! He just…"

"He's right, Nell. We can't take care of him, either."

Eleanor screamed, getting to her feet. She couldn't be around him right now. It was his damned fault they couldn't afford to take him in. She pounded a fist into the wall before walking into the bedroom, slamming the door behind her.


	21. Mr Clarke

Eleanor smiled politely as she passed the Minister in the hallway as he was talking to a young man in a business suit. She met the man's eyes and felt her smile widen. He was a very attractive man, stood a few inches taller than her, with cropped dark hair and gray eyes. Something about the way he looked at her made her heart flutter. She looked forward again, continuing on her way down the hall. Before she'd even made it to the main entrance, he'd stopped her.

"Hey." She felt a hand on her shoulder.

She turned about and met his eyes. He smiled, taking a step back to give her space. She laughed quietly. "Hi."

"Are you going to lunch?"

She nodded, motioning toward the front entrance. "Uh, yeah. I am."

"Okay." He nodded also, looking toward the doors. He looked like a puppy, eager and ready to play. "So am I."

"Alright." She tried to keep from laughing in his face. For a moment in time, she felt like she was fifteen again. "Do you want to come with me?"

He smiled appreciatively. "I'd like that."

"Sure, come on…"

She led the way outside and down the sidewalk. He walked beside her, his hands in the pockets of his gray trousers.

"So, where are you from?" She asked, looking sideways at him. "Your accent…"

He laughed, looking down. "I'm American. I work over at the Federal Bureau of Witchcraft and Wizardry."

"That's fantastic! What do you do over there?"

"Oh, well… mostly financial business. Nothing too important."

Eleanor shrugged with a laugh. "Money makes the world go round, right?"

"Seems so." He looked over at her with a laugh, holding out his hand. "I'm sorry. I'm Daniel Clarke."

She took his hand and shook it gently. "Eleanor Black."

"Pleasure, Eleanor. So, what is it that you do?"

"Ah… me, I'm a secretary." She shrugged.

She went to open the door to the café she ate lunch at every so often but he beat her to it, motioning for her to enter. She smiled and walked past him, leading the way to the counter. The young, female clerk behind it greeted her with a smile.

"Hello, Miss Black. Your usual?"

"Yes, please." She looked up at Daniel.

Daniel smiled. "I'll have the tuna salad sandwich, please."

"Of course." The clerk eyed Eleanor curiously, smirking.

Eleanor just smiled, shaking her head slightly.

"You guys go and have a sit. I'll bring it out in a few minutes."

Daniel turned and walked over to a table, pulling out a chair and sitting down. Eleanor followed and sat across from him with a sigh.

"A secretary, huh?" He smiled.

She nodded. "Yeah, nothing spectacular."

"How long have you been doing that?"

She thought for a moment, biting her lip. "Almost four years." She felt like a bit of a failure saying those words and it must have shown.

Daniel waved it off. "Oh, it's not a big deal. A job's a job."

"The people with the good ones always say that." She smirked teasingly.

He laughed. "You've never had the opportunity for a promotion?"

Eleanor almost laughed. "No, never. It's one of those dead end jobs that simply pays the rent."

"But you seem very sharp to me. You're good with people, too. Confident… even the Minister said some nice things about you."

"Oh, did he? Like what?"

Daniel shook his head, thinking a moment. "Just that you were a great student at Hogwarts. One of the top in your class."

Eleanor nodded. That she was and while she was brilliant, no one allowed her to put her skills to good use.

"It's complicated…"

"You not able to get a job?" He raised a brow.

"Yeah…"

"Well… why can't you, if you don't mind my asking?"

Eleanor sighed, tapping her fingers on the table. She looked up at him and spoke calmly.

"My boyfriend's a werewolf."

Daniel just stared at her. She didn't know what she was expecting. Was he supposed to get up and walk away after stammering some sort of apology? Scream in terror and run from the café? He nodded, seeming to consider the fact for the moment.

"Well… I could see how that would be an issue… with Voldemort's alliance with the werewolves lately. But, it's no reason not to give you a job. It's just… prejudice. In the US, you could sue our asses for that." He chuckled.

She smiled. She liked this guy a lot. He was sweet and something about him made her very comfortable with him as if they'd been friends for years before today.

"Well, maybe I should come and work for you, then."

"You should… you'd probably get paid a hell of a lot more."

Eleanor laughed, looking down. But Daniel didn't.

"I'm serious… I could definitely find you a job."

Eleanor's eyes widened slightly as she looked up at him. Did he just offer to give her a job in another country? "Oh, no. I couldn't. Thank you, though, Daniel."

"Well… if you change your mind at all, I'll be here for a week." He laughed. "There are plenty of career opportunities in the US. Jobs better than the one you've got now."

"Oh, I don't doubt that." She looked down, resting her chin on her fist. "It's just the idea of leaving… I have to be perfectly sure I want to."

Daniel just nodded but didn't ask anything further. She was thankful for that, though she thought she might have just recited her entire life history to this stranger. It was nice to just have someone to sit and talk to. Ever since she lost Lily, James, and Sirius, she'd pretty much become a hermit. And Remus wasn't much for conversation anymore. The only time they bothered exchanging words was when one was angry at the other for one reason or another. Both were stressed and still grieving the loss of their friends. Sometimes she wanted to just run away and start over. Making new friends was next to impossible when everyone knew she was living with a werewolf. She was alone, overworked, stressed, and depressed. And she felt herself being sucked deeper into everything the longer she stayed.

Daniel offered a smile, noticing the light behind her eyes extinguish. "Everything alright?"

She looked up at him, smiling. "Yeah… just so much going on lately. I'm kind of stressed."

He nodded, his eyes widening slightly. "Yeah, I know what that's like."

The girl from behind the counter came walking up, placing their meals down in front of them.

"Here you go. Enjoy."

"Thanks." Eleanor smiled sweetly, picking up a fork and poking around at her salad.

She watched the girl as she walked away, inwardly wishing to be normal like her. When she turned to look at Daniel, she realized that he had been watching her. They both laughed, turning their attention to their food. Once they were satisfied and full, they stood up and Eleanor reached for her wallet.

"Oh, no." Daniel put a hand on hers, shaking his head. "Please… this one's on me."

Before Eleanor could protest, he strode over to the counter to take care of her bill. She felt herself redden slightly. He was positively one of the sweetest men she'd ever met in her life. She met him by the door, leading the way back toward the Ministry.

"That sandwich was awesome. I've got to remember that place for when I come back here on business."

"Oh? Think you'll be coming often?" She raised a brow, hoping it hadn't sounded too flirty. She'd already told him she was seeing someone.

"I hope so."

She met his eyes before smiling and walking back inside of the Ministry building, checking her wand and ID at the desk.

"Well, Daniel, I've got to get back to work. Thank you so much for lunch."

"Oh, of course, Eleanor. It was a pleasure meeting you. We should sit down again sometime."

She nodded. "Sure."

"Alright, well… I'll definitely see you around here."

"Yeah, see you."

She turned and walked back toward Mr. Wellington's office, laughing quietly to herself.


	22. The Break Up

Personal Note: There is a lot more to this story, but I think I'm going to be making some drastic changes. If you're liking it, hold out just a little while. It'll be up soon.

Eleanor came in through the front door, kicking it closed with her heel. She was so exhausted, it felt like her body was about to cave in on itself. She'd just finished a double shift at the bank. Sitting in a chair for 14 hours was surprisingly more tiring than running papers. Thankfully, Remus was leaving to stay at a safe house for the full moon. She'd have the bed to herself to crash in with no interruptions and could sleep in late the next morning. Remus was seated at the kitchen table, a teacup held tight between both hands. He seemed to be staring into it intently.

"What are you doing?" She asked, dropping her bag onto the table in front of him.

He didn't bother to look up. "Thinking."

"Ah. Anything exciting?" She plopped down into the chair, rubbing the sleep from her eyes.

"No."

"Oh."

They sat there in silence for a moment, her mind going over everything that had happened with Daniel in the past few days. The idea of accepting the job never left her and everyday she was tempted more and more to just quit her jobs and run as far away as possible. She raised her eyes to look over at Remus. His face was screwed up in thought as he stared into the cup.

"You were never one for reading tea leaves, Remus."

His face softened and he looked over at her. "I'm… not. I just thought I saw something."

"What'd you see?"

"Nothing." He answered shortly, looking back down. He was looking tired and pale like he usually did around full moons, only now it was accompanied with a look of annoyance. Like her very presence angered him.

She sighed. Oh well, if he wasn't going to tell she wasn't going to try to force it out of him. "Okay."

Silence again. It killed her how unattached she felt from him. He seemed to be forcing her away all the time and it wasn't even like a relationship anymore… it was more like roommates who shared a bed.

"I was offered a job the other day." She said quietly, as if not sure she really even wanted to say it.

"Really?" He raised a brow, looking genuinely surprised.

"Yeah… a much better one. I said I would take it… I think I start next week."

She couldn't believe she'd even said that. In fact, she hadn't said anything about the job. She just wanted to know how it would feel to actually tell him she was thinking about leaving. Maybe it would scare him into shaping up. He simply nodded and she frowned. Why didn't he ask her anything about it? She gave a long, quiet sigh, looking away.

"It requires a bit of a move." She looked over at him, wondering what sort of reaction that might get.

He looked up and met her eyes but took a moment to respond. "A move? What kind of a move?"

"To the States."

His eyes widened and he suddenly looked angry. "Why would you accept the job? You know we can't move to the States! I have to stay here… I'm a known werewolf… I think it's… illegal or something."

She looked down, biting her lip. What right did he have to get angry at her? She was the one busting her ass for him and did he think he was going to get off on a free ride forever? "I know." It broke her heart how cruel and final this must have sounded and she looked up, suddenly wondering what she had done.

Remus got quiet and just stared at her. She felt her stomach turn and she felt sick, but the look in his eyes wasn't anything like she thought it might be. It wasn't regret or sorrow or heartbreak. He looked furious. His hands gripped the teacup until they were white.

"I'm going alone." She added, her voice cracking. She quickly brought a hand up to wipe away a tear that escaped.

"Alright, then. If that's what you want." He said after a long silence.

She let out something like a whine and turned away. That wasn't what he was supposed to say. He was supposed to wrap her in his arms and apologize and tell her that things would work out! She wanted some reassurance that she wasn't doing this to herself for nothing. Her reaction seemed to infuriate him even more.

"Well, is it not? What do you want, Nell? What do you expect me to say?"

She shook her head, losing it and crying into her hand. "I… d-don't know!"

"Well, neither do I! There's nothing I can do to make this any easier for you! You know I can't get a job… you knew this was going to be hard! I'm sorry…maybe it's just the best thing for you. I shouldn't have even thought you could handle it. That was wrong of me."

He stood up, walking over to the sink and throwing the cup into it. Pieces of the ceramic flew everywhere and she flinched, looking up at him. He was crying, too. She stood up and shook her head, but didn't know why. He was right and this was what she wanted him to realize for a long time now.

"What?"

"I don't know… I'm just sorry." She said quietly.

He rolled his eyes and sighed as tears streamed down his cheeks, like he was ashamed of it.

"Take the job, Nell. You deserve it."

He turned away from her and headed toward the door. She stood there and watched him go, flinching as he slammed it behind him.

He didn't return after the full moon and no one had heard from him, not even Dumbledore. She took a few days to sort and pack her things before approaching Daniel at work.

"Hey, Daniel." She said quietly, coming up behind him.

He turned around with a smile, it quickly fading when he saw her face. "Nell… what's wrong? Have you slept? You look exhausted."

She laughed quietly. "Yeah…well, things have been tough the past few days."

"What happened?"

She waved it off, shaking her head. "I was just coming to let you know that… if it was still open, I'd love to accept your job offer."

He just looked at her for a moment, not knowing how to react. Seeing she didn't want to elaborate, he nodded. "Yes, of course it's still open, Nell."

"Good. Um… I can start immediately. When do you leave?"

"Today." He frowned. "Are you sure?"

She nodded with a smile. "I'm going to let Mr. Wellington know and I'll pack my things." She handed him a piece of paper with her address written on it. "I'll see you later?"

He took it, looking down at it for a moment. "Yeah. Later."


End file.
